Missing
by Rakuengaki
Summary: A year has passed since the deafeat of Ultamecia. Balamb Garden is drawn into a mission to stop someone from reviving her. However, it goes horribly wrong and the cold tendrils of death, fear, and paranoia starts to thread into the population.
1. Prolouge

disclaimer: dont own FF8.   
  
Rain whipped harshly against his leather clad back as he stumbled from the flaming wreckage. An unconscious SeeD hung from his right side as he continued forward. Two other SeeDs ran forward and took the unconscious one from him. He was relieved to see the red equal armed cross on their uniforms which identified them as medical personnel. Explosions reached his already ringing ears as he ran down the bridge. Explosion after explosion rang out and more flames lit the stormy night. The Galbadian cowboy, Irvine Kinneas, screamed for him to hurry up before the bridge collapsed. Blue gray eyes widened in terror as the bridge under his pounding feet began to collapse. He reached a hand out in a last attempt to reach the other side, reach the safety of the other SeeDs, the safety of his friends, but fate was a cruel mistress this nice and as he plummeted down towards the raging waters of the black river beneath the bridge he saw the violet eyes of the cowboy widen and fill with fear. His last sight was of Zell, Irvine, and Selphie staring as he entered the frigid waters.   
  
A scream tried to penetrate the water's shield and reach his ears, but it failed. The scream went unheard by the owner of the name and he was swept away with the current.   
  
"SQUALL!" 


	2. Chapter 1

disclaimer: i don't own FF8  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Blue gray eyes stared into the cold night as the rain water whipped at their owner's injured form. The river water lashed at the young man as he lay on the bank where it had spat him out earlier. His head pounded and he could feel the crimson liquid that kept him alive seeping from his injuries. He had not the strength to move and no energy left to cast any Cura spells. The storm winds made the rain rip into the wounds on his face. His body felt numb as the temperature continued to drop. He had no idea how he was able to stay conscious through the beating that the river and gifted him with.   
  
As warm liquid dripped into his eyes he saw a faint orange glow stepping towards him slowly. The rain continued its assault on his already battered body as his eyes watched the glow come closer. Slowly, the faint outline of a cloaked figure began to form. It was draped in black and the glow did nothing to pierce the shadows around it. The figure came ever closer and the rain parted with its passing. It appeared to be a sort of phantom and the silvery glint of steel caught his eye. The glow grew into a flame and the phantom knelt beside him. He prayed that the figure would just end his pitiful excuse of a life and release him from the storm's punishment. The rain stopped beating him as did the river's raging waters.   
  
The phantom held him closely, careful of his injuries, and a green light swept over his vision. He could feel soft cloth under his cheek and tried to curl closer to the warmth that this phantom provided. The rain no longer bothered him as slowly a warm feeling began to creep into his chest. His eyes felt heavy and his head only ached more. The phantom pulled him closer and the light swept over him again. The warmth spread to include his entire being in its embrace as the phantom picked him up carefully. Slowly, it walked on and kept him close to its warmth. He fell asleep before he could even see who the phantom was.   
  
Balamb Garden was alive with activity as the Ragnarock landed. Medical cadets scurried around and tended to the wounded. Cura and Curaga spells were flying all over the place as more and more of the wounded were brought off the ship. It was chaos. Quistis Trepe sighed tiredly as a medical cadet wrapped her arm in new bandages. She looked over to Selphie as she yelled for someone to help the cadets who were starting to bleed heavily again. Thanking the cadet, she turned to Irvine and Zell who were both being tended to by the medical personnel. Irvine settled his hat back on his head once the cadet finished with bandaging the cut on his forehead.   
  
Zell stood shakily and tried to leave the ship. Irvine stood and helped him. Selphie chewed on her lip and followed Quistis out. Dread was like a thick blanket that shrouded the group as they walked into Garden. The place was frantic as more and more SeeDs and cadets were brought into the medical unit.   
  
"Trepe!" Quistis looked up at the sound of her name being called. Head Master Cid was heading to them while speaking with some of the medical personnel.   
  
"I'm going to take Zell to his room, Quistis," Irvine whispered to her and Cid came closer. Quistis nodded and watched as Irvine supported a very unenthusiastic Zell to his room.   
  
"So, how did it go?" Cid asked once he got to them. Selphie slipped away and ran after Irvine and Zell. Quistis chewed on her lip as she tried to sum up what had happened on the mission in her mind.   
  
"Unfortunately… he got away. We took out a good bit of the army that he was building to bring the sorceress back and we suffered heavy casualties as you can see," Her voice didn't shake as she gave Cid her report. He was silent a moment as his gaze swept over the injured.   
  
"I see," was all he said for a moment. "Where is Commander Lionheart?" he asked. Quistis looked away from him and chewed her lip again.   
  
"M.I.A," she said. She could feel Cid's eyes bore into her as she said it.   
  
"How did he become missing?" Cid asked after a long moment of silence.  
  
"The explosives on the bridge went off as he was trying to make his way across. He fell into the river and was swept away. I highly doubt that… we would be able to find him." She finished. Her green eyes stared at the floor sadly. Cid gripped her shoulder lightly.   
  
"Once we have some people available who are willing to search for him we will try and find him," Quistis smiled slightly as she looked up at the Head Master. He nodded and smiled in reassurance.   
  
"For now though, find out where the target might have gone," Quistis nodded and started for her room. She could feel the cold tendrils of death start to snake their way into the cadets. She moved quickly to try and get away from the iciness that filled the air. She rubbed her arms fiercely as one of the medical personnel cried out for assistance with one of the cadets who was bleeding profusely. She could see faint shadows start to appear over those who were bleeding their lives out on the floor. Someone gripped her shoulder tightly and she struggled to get away. The hands wouldn't let go and slowly, the person's voice registered in her terrified mind.   
  
"Quistis!" she looked up sharply and the sound of her name and met worried jade green eyes. The eyes of the former sorceress' knight stared down at her as she tried to regain control of her breathing.   
  
"Are you ok?" he asked. Finally, her breathing steadied and she could speak without shrieking.   
  
"I'm fine just… tired is all," Seifer nodded a bit and let her go. Dimly she realized that the former knight was being incredibly gentle for what his previous crimes were. Thankfully he didn't comment on the state of the cadets and followed her silently as she went to her room. She punched in the access code and walked in leaving the door open for the former knight. Seifer took the invitation and looked around silently.   
  
"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked. He shook his head and continued his explorations.   
  
"I'm assuming that the mission didn't go according to plan?" he asked as she took a seat on the couch. She shook her head a bit and rubbed her hands together. She still felt horribly cold.   
  
"Chick- Zell," he corrected himself, "didn't look so good when I passed him and Irvine in the hall." Quistis smiled a bit as Seifer picked up one of the many pictures she had scattered around the room and at him using Zell's actual name this time instead of the infuriating nickname.   
  
"No, he isn't. His injuries gradually increased in severity over time as he continued to push himself," she explained. Seifer nodded a bit and glanced at her.   
  
"Irvine will be ok eventually and so will Selphie," she was touched deeply by his new concern for the rest of the orphanage group. He really had changed after the final fight with Ultamecia. He had returned to Balamb Garden a year after the final confrontation and had asked to be let back. After many negotiations he was finally let into the Garden. In less then a year he had taken the final exam and had become a SeeD. He wasn't allowed on missions though.   
  
"Squall is missing," she murmured. He didn't say anything for a long while. She glanced up at him and saw that his normal smirk was painted on his face again.   
  
"We have a score to settle. He'll come back alive." She stared at him and shook her head.   
  
"Your optimism is good to have around, Seifer." She said.   
  
"I know," when she glared up at him he was smirking. 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: don't own FF8  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Blue gray eyes flickered open slowly. He could feel something laying on his chest and a plush thing under his entire body. He glanced around and found himself to be in a small cozy bed room. The walls were painted a soft orange color and the door was a few yards away from the bed he was laying on. The window beside him let in the soft light of dawn and the sound of birds chirping. The room was unfamiliar to him but it gave him a warm sense of peace to be laying there in someone else's bed. A warm feeling crept into his chest as a green light spread over his vision like a thin veil. He glanced around again and saw a woman in her early to mid twenties sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. Her warm gray eyes glinted behind thin framed glasses and her long black hair was pulled into a bun. Her golden tan features were drawn into a soft smile as she stared down at him.   
  
He felt the thing on his chest move and a pair of emerald eyes peered at him sleepily from an orange furred face. It let out a bit of a squeal and jumped off of him and ran out of the slightly opened door. He watched the creature's departure and turned his attention slowly back to the woman. She brushed some hair out of his eyes and cupped his cheek gently.   
  
"You seem to be alright for now," her voice was soft and it slithered warmly through his mind. His eyes lids became heavy as the thin green veil made its appearance again. Slowly, he felt the warm, comforting clutches of sleep embrace him and he fell into the blissful darkness of a dreamless sleep.  
  
Balamb Garden  
  
The Garden was silent in the early morning hours. The medical cadets filled the cafeteria, getting coffee or food, as they waited for the shifts to change. Everything was still so hectic. The infirmary was a torrent of activity. Cure, Cura, and Curaga spells were flying everywhere. The classes for the next few days were cancelled in light of the results of the previous mission. Warm chocolate colored eyes took in all of the activity as their owner moved about the Garden towards the Dorms. She chewed on her lower lip as she heard some anguished cries erupt from the infirmary. She approached his dorm and punched in the access code.   
  
The door slid open with a soft whir and she stepped in. Rinoa Heartly smiled to herself and made her way to Squall's bedroom. The living area was neat a tidy as was the kitchen. Slowly, she took hold of the door knob and turned it so as not to make a lot of noise. She stepped into the room and stopped. He wasn't there. She looked around the cozy apartment and found that his gunblade was missing also. She bit her lip to keep the terrifying thoughts from entering her mind. Despite her wishes, her mind betrayed her and conjured up images of Squall in the infirmary severely injured and possibly dieing. Her body moved of its own accord and flew down the hall towards where the anguished cries and the dark, cold feeling of pain came from. She gripped the copy of the griever ring on the chain around her neck tightly as she searched frantically for Doctor Kadowaki.   
  
"Doctor!" she called once the Asian woman entered her line of sight. She made her way closer and cast a few Curaga spells of her own on the injured cadets.   
  
"Rinoa!" the doctor exclaimed.   
  
"Where's Squall?" her grip on the ring tightened as more possibilities ran a marathon through her head. The doctor stared down at the girl and pulled her a side gently. Rinoa's eyes widened as the thought of Squall dead made a shroud of ice fall over her.   
  
"He's missing," Rinoa's heart leapt into her throat and tried to choke her. "Irvine and the others know more then I do." Rinoa hardly heard her as her feet grew wings and she ran back to the dorms to find Irvine.   
  
Irvine groaned as the sun's fingers tapped over his eyes lids. His muscles still ached and protested when he moved. He was dimly aware of something trying to wake him. There was a cold, icy feeling raking through him. His entire body began to freeze and he heard venomous laughter shatter his now aching ears. He tried to pry his eyes open to see what was wrong but a burning started deep in his throat. His lungs were screaming for the air that they had been deprived of for Hyne only knew how long. He could feel something tearing at the skin of his back and arms, felt something wrap around his neck tightly. Panic swelled in his chest like a snake and slowly started to slither up his throat.   
  
Irvine shot up in bed, the blankets tangled around his long legs and a panicked cry fled from his lips. His mind still held the images that he could barely see and his body retained the feelings of being torn. Cold sweat glimmered on his skin as the sun began to drench the land in a shower of light. His breath came in heavy gasps as his ears forced him to hear that horrid laughter over and over again. He felt restricting fingers around his throat and an icyness began to sink into the pit of his stomach. He stumbled from his bedroom and into the bathroom. Cold water fell over his fingertips from the silver spout and was splashed on his face. His skin slowly began to release the dream as did his mind. He stared into the mirror as sunlight began to pour through his window. The laughter began to flow from his ears.   
  
"Irvine?" someone called. "Irvine, are you here?!" Rinoa. Irvine sighed shakily and brushed his hair back. Slowly, he made his way to the "front room", pulling on a pair of jeans along the way.   
  
"I'm right here, Rinoa." He half sighed. Rinoa's eyes were shining with worry as she faced him. His muscles protested the act of moving as he sank into an arm chair.   
  
"Doctor Kadowaki said that Squall was missing," Irvine groaned inwardly.   
  
"He is," He felt Rinoa still more then saw it. He rubbed his forehead a bit and winced slightly.   
  
"The bridge collapsed under him when he was trying to get away from the building," he explained. Rinoa stared down at the injured cowboy before she fled. Irvine groaned pitifully and stood. His legs felt like rubber and his head was pounding like a hammer to an anvil. Rinoa wasn't the only one worried about where Squall was… if was even alive. Irvine mentally kicked himself. Squall wasn't dead. It was as simple as that. Slowly, a long erased memory surfaced. The icy feeling spread throughout his body. Squall couldn't swim.   
  
He rose slowly out of the dark embrace of sleep. He could hear the light flittering of the birds outside and felt the soft breeze comb her gentle fingers through his hair. He also heard someone singing. And the fingers combing through his hair wasn't the breeze. He opened his eyes slowly and peered up at a pair of crystal blue eyes. They were set into a smiling and gentle face that wisps of chestnut hair fluttered around. She resembled the woman who he had seen before only younger. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun with a pair of… sticks holding it together. He could feel something around his head, arms and legs and around his middle. A lovely melody was being created by the woman above him. Her gentle fingers combed through his hair and smoothed it away from his face.   
  
"How do you feel?" Her voice was like liquid warmth, just like the other one's voice. He tried to speak but only coughed. Ragged coughs pierced him and almost chocked him. The woman rolled him gently onto his side and rubbed his back. The coughing eased and he looked up at the woman. She smiled down at him and held a cup to his lips. He drank greedily.   
  
"You're injuries were pretty bad when I found you," She set the cup on the night stand and turned back to him. "Does your head hurt?" He opened his mouth to answer but paused then nodded slightly. That sent a sharp spike of pain into his head making him wince. The woman laughed a bit.  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't move your head then," he rolled back on his back and stared up at her.   
  
"Who… are you?" his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a while.   
  
"My name's Lony," she said. "What's yours?" He stared at her curiously. His mind was a jumbled mess. Barriers had been erected that blocked the answer from coming to him. He searched his mind for the answer. Slowly, as if through water, he could hear a voice shouting something before cold enveloped him. Was that it?   
  
"Squall…" he answered slowly, rolling the feel of the word around on his tounge. It seemed natural, like he had said it a million times before. There was another part…  
  
"Lionheart… Squall Lionheart," that was it. Lony seemed satisfied with that answer.   
  
"How did you end up in the river, Squall?" River? What river? Was that the cold thing he had landed in? He peered at her confused.   
  
"Do… you know how old you are?" she seemed puzzled about something. He shook his head a tiny bit.   
  
"Do you know where you came from?" Again he shook his head. There were barriers blocking the answers from reaching him, he knew. Lony stared at him.   
  
'He doesn't remember anything…' she realized. Squall Lionheart, the leader of Balamb Garden and one of the people who saved the world, had amnesia. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Lony shut the door to her bed room quietly and sighed. She was rather surprised to find Squall on the banks of the river but now…. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and walked down the hall to the living room. Her sister was curled up in the large papas an chair in the corner of the room reading. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun and her gray eyes roamed over the page she was reading. Lony sighed and flopped onto the couch. Star, the little moomba that they had found one day in the park, hopped up onto the couch with her and settled into her side. Lony ran her fingers through the moomba's thick fur and stared at the ceiling.   
  
"Did he wake up?" Lony sat up slightly and looked at her sister.  
  
"Yeah," she answered.   
  
"How is he?"  
  
"He should be able to walk soon if the bones in his leg decide to stay in place and heal properly. Her sister nodded and turned the page of her book.  
  
"How's his head wound?" Lony chewed her lip and lay back down on the couch.   
  
"Fine I guess,"   
  
"You guess?"   
  
"He…… doesn't remember anything," her sister was silent a moment as she processed the little morsel of information. Lony chewed her lip still as she petted the moomba curled up against her side.   
  
"So, what do we do?" Lony finally asked as the silence began to eat at her.   
  
"Help him recover," her sister said simply. Lony nodded slightly and stretched. Star looked up as the door bell rang and hopped off the couch. Lony stood and went over to the door as her sister put her book mark in her book and stood.   
  
Star ran into Lony's room as the stampede of kids entered the house. They were warned to be quiet as they were brought out back. Star hopped onto the bed that held one of the people responsible for saving the world and peered at him. Bandages were wrapped tightly around his head and a small red splotch could be seen on them. One of his legs was propped up while the other wasn't. Bandages were also wrapped around his chest and abdomen as well as his arms.   
  
A small mass of pale white scar tissue rested on his shoulder from something and other thin ropes of scar tissue littered his body. The grayish blue eyes were hidden under his eye lids which fluttered slightly as he dreamt. His hands were callused from wielding a gunblade and their usual case of leather was missing. Star moved Squall's arm a bit and settled under it. He rested his head on his shoulder and moved Squall's arm back to its original spot only this time it was lain over his back. Star settled down and fell into the darkness of sleep.   
  
Balamb Garden  
  
Blue steel hissed slightly as it swung through the air. The young cadet in front of the blade dodged and tried to strike back with his blade. Steel and blue steel collided and sent sparks to the ground as jade green eyes glinted in the warm afternoon sun. The instructor's voice droned on about what to do when your weapon collided with your opponent's weapon. Seifer paid the instructor no mind. He felt Hyperion hum slightly as he broke away from his opponent, disarming him. The cadet held his hands up in surrender and Seifer lowered his gunblade. The instructor patted the cadet on the back as a bell rang somewhere in the Garden.   
  
"Alright, everyone, that's all for today," the instructor called. The cadets slowly dispersed and made their way back to the garden. Seifer followed at a much slower pace and stared at the ground as he walked. His muscles itched for an actual battle and not these stupid exercises against the junior cadets. Seifer sighed slightly and entered the garden. Most of the students gave him a wide berth as he made his way towards the Quad.   
  
The infirmary was still a swarm of activity as the SeeDs who went on the mission yesterday were dealt with. He adverted his eyes from the scene and hurried past to the Quad. The thrive of activity was dulled as he entered and found who he was looking for. The rest of the orphanage gang and Rinoa were gathered under a tree and talking quietly. He walked over and stood a few inches behind Selphie. The short little ball of energy was bouncing slightly as the listened to what Quistis was saying.   
  
"Cid said that in a few days we might be able to send some people to find Squall," was what she was saying.   
  
"We need to go now!" Rinoa shouted, her voice desperate. Quistis shook her head.   
  
"We can't, Rinoa," Quistis held her hand up quickly to dismiss whatever arguments Rinoa might have had. "We don't want to risk anymore lives by sending some people out there. The only ones who might be able to go right now are Zell, Irvine, Selphie, myself, you and Seifer. Zell and Irvine still need to recover as does Selphie, I need to stay here and help run Garden in Squall's place and you and Seifer can't go by yourselves because you both are two big targets."   
  
"I am NOT a target!" Rinoa exclaimed.   
  
"Yes, you are, Rinoa, you are a sorceress. Sorceresses aren't very popular right now," Quistis sighed a bit and rubbed her forehead.   
  
"We just can't risk it right now, Rin," Irvine said softly, placing a hand on Rinoa's shoulder. Rinoa's eyes fell into shadow as she leaned against Irvine a bit. Seifer put his hands on Selphie's shoulders and looked at Quistis.   
  
"What are the chances of Squall being alive?" He felt a cold weight settle as the words left his mouth. A silent cry of sorrow rang through the air as the first stirrings of anger were released. Seifer stared calmly at Quistis as he felt the angry eyes of Rinoa bore into him.   
  
"Less then forty percent possibly," Quistis answered, her voice a bit breathy. The thought of Squall dead was something that they didn't want to think about. However, the possibility of it hung over them. Seifer nodded a bit.   
  
"How long before a team can be sent out to look for him?" Irvine asked this time.   
  
"Maybe in a couple of days,"   
  
"What about tomorrow?"   
  
"What about tomorrow?" Quistis said, reiterating his question.   
  
"Can't two people be sent out to search for him?" Quistis sighed heavily and shook her head.  
  
"We don't—  
  
"I heard that," Irvine interrupted. "But I'll probably be fine by tomorrow so will Selphie. Seifer can come as well and we can search any towns or cities close to where the base was," Irvine's logic made a bit of sense and Seifer could see the confliction in Quistis's eyes.   
  
"It would give us a jump start on it, Quistis," Seifer said. Irvine flashed him a grateful look as Quistis finally gave in.   
  
"Alright, you three can head out early tomorrow," she said. Selphie cheered happily and hugged Rinoa.   
  
"See, Rin? We'll have Squall back in no time!" Selphie's words had little effect. 


	5. Chapter 4

disclaimer: dont own FF8  
  
Chapter 4   
  
Glazed black eyes stared out of the window into the night. The train's wheels clacked loudly on its tracks as it made its way towards Esthar. The train's compartment he was sitting in was dark as the night outside. The stars played happily in their velvet house as the black eyes watched. Deathly pale skin wrapped around the gangly frame of tired muscles, veins, bones and organs. Faded robes hung off of his body and stringy salt and pepper hair was cut close to his head. Long fingered, stick like hands were encased in brown leather gloves and a red glint twinkled on the back of one of them. The blacked gaze swiveled down to the gloves and stared at the intricate pattern on the back of the one encasing his right hand. A red stone glittered in the darkness on the back of the glove and gave the man an eerie look.   
  
Voices warred in the man's possessed mind and the dull black eyes returned to the window. He could still hear the roaring of the flames as the darkness of her presence consumed him. He had laughed as he watched the mercenaries scramble around trying to get their own out and kill as many of his followers as they possibly could. The perfume of death and burnt skin and hair had filled his nostrils with the most… pleasurable of scents. The orchestra of anguish filled his ears as he had watched the people burst into flames before him. And the dance of the newly departed souls had mesmerized him. Pale, thin lips twisted into a satisfied smirk as the train continued towards Esthar. The people there would provide a delicious performance. He licked his lips as the sweet taste of that red elixir filled his mouth again.   
  
'There will be more in Esthar,' he thought. 'And the Lions shall come out to play…'   
  
People sat on the benches at the train station in a little known town near Esthar as the train's whistles started to sound. The train's wheels clattered noisily as it approached. Passengers gathered their things to board or leave the train as it slowed to a halt. A blast of steam escaped from the train as the door slowly slid open. Some of the passengers disembarked from the train as others boarded. A shadow slipped from the train and moved swiftly away. There was no way that he could prevent the events from happening this night. The shadow made its way from the station and into the woods near it. A good few miles away lay the Estharian Planes.   
  
'Soon, those planes will be alight with the screaming of the burning train,' he thought as he heard the train begin to depart. The slow clattering of the wheels was distant as the shadow walked towards the slumbering town. They would soon be aware of what was happening.   
  
Seifer yawned widely as the first fingers of sunlight began to creep into the garden's corridors from the large windows. He felt the sun's smiling heat as he stepped out side and made his way to where the Ragnarock was docked. The horizon was painted with the light shades of blue as the sun began its ascent into the cloudless blue blanket above him. He felt the soft breeze flutter through his hair and heard Garden's female energy ball moving about the Ragnarock frantically. Seifer made his way aboard and found Irvine already asleep in one of the cockpit's chairs. A younger SeeD was making himself familiar with the controls of the ship and listening with half an ear to what Selphie was saying.   
  
Seifer put his bag and Hyperion, safely tucked away in its case, next to a passenger seat and out of the aisle. Another SeeD stepped into the cockpit and reported that everything was ready. Selphie nodded and took her seat in the pilot's chair. The engines rumbled to life and slowly, they made their own ascent into the clear blue sky. Seifer glanced over at the sleeping cowboy and shook his head slightly. He could sense what his thoughts were as he dreamt. They were same ones that Selphie had muttered last night before leaving the Quad as she stared out the window. Rinoa had left in a worried huff and hadn't come out of her room yet. Seifer sat down and settled in for the long flight. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Lony sighed a bit as she stepped from the shower. She could hear the rain tap dancing on the roof of the house and on the ground outside as she began to dry herself off. Her gaze swiveled to the window as she pulled her clothes on. The sky was a thick blanket of gray as it unleashed its cleansing torrent upon the land. The river would be flooding again if the torrent continued and most likely the small statue that she had left behind would be swept away. A deep rumble of thunder crossed the sky and lightening flashed. The fury of the storm would only increase by the way the sky continued to darken. There was a knock on the door that made her look up.  
  
"Lony! Hurry up!" her sister called.  
  
"I'll be out in a minute, May," she called back. Lony grabbed her comb and towel and walked out of the bathroom. The rain continued its dance as she walked down the hall towards her room. The thunder's song rang out again and a crack of lightening shot down towards the ground as the storm's anger increased. Star was most likely huddled into a chair in May's room. The television in the living room cast a slight glow in the dimly lit room as the news caster announced the storm and the disappearance of someone. Lony sat down on the couch and began to comb her hair as she listened to the news caster.   
  
"In earlier news, a devastating train accident occurred in the Estharian planes today," Lony cocked her head to the side and turned the volume up over the thunder that was booming more often now. "The accident occurred this morning around five a.m. near the small town of Dorenca, a tiny farm town located near the area where Lunatic Pandora once hovered. The cause of the accident is still unknown. Unfortunately, all of the passengers were killed." Lony changed the channel, a sick feeling swelling in her stomach. She brushed the cold blanket of dread away and walked into her room. She was a bit surprised to find a pair of blue gray eyes and emerald eyes dart to her when she walked in. She smiled as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Star leapt into her lap and squealed a bit.   
  
"How are you feeling today, Squall?" she asked softly. Squall looked up to her and smiled a bit.  
  
"Ok," he answered, his voice a soft whisper. Lony smiled and brushed his bangs from his face. He closed his eyes when her fingers brushed over the bandage around his head making him seem like a little boy. Lony cast her last Cura spell on him and urged him to sit up some.  
  
"Let's see if you can sit up now," she said. He nodded a bit started to sit up with her help. In the back of his mind, he felt something beginning to break. Slowly, an image of the beach started to push past the barriers. He felt the cool breeze play with his hair and heard someone crying. The sound of his name being called startled him. He thought he saw the faint outlines of people on the beach but the calling grew frantic. He blinked and stared up at worried sapphire eyes. Lony looked down at him and cupped his cheek in her hand. There was a bruise slowly forming on her cheek and his hand hurt. He tried to fight off the darkness this time, to ask what had happened, but to no avail. He slowly sank into the warm comfort of the darkness, with the worry that he had done something bad on his mind.   
  
Seifer sighed heavily as he continued to walk down the shore of the furious river. The rains of the night before had made the waters swell to where they were almost flooding their banks. The sky was still a dark shade of gray and the water swollen ground tried to swallow his boots with each step that he took. As he watched the waters and the sky he didn't notice the little statue until he tripped over it. Stumbling, he fell to his knees in the mud and cursed loudly. His emerald gaze swiveled to the thing that he had tripped over and picked the small statue up. His golden eyebrows furrowed as the details of the statue were taken in. The lion atop the cliff was frozen forever in a furious roar. The statue reminded him vividly of the lion charm that hung from Squall's gunblade as well as the necklace that the brunette wore.   
  
A glinting caught his eye and made him turn to the furious waters of the river. He felt the Hyperion hum as he moved closer to the waters. He squinted to try and get a better view of the glinting thing. Cold gray steel attached to a gun handle winked up at him from the churning waters. Seifer plunged his hand in but the gray thing eluded him.  
  
'Just a stupid fish,' he thought. He picked the forgotten statue up and stood. Checking his watch, he realized that he would have to turn back and make his way back to the Ragnarock. Fire crackled in his head as heat washed over him. The amber eyes of Ifrit stared at him through the wall of fire that separated them from each other. The fire guardian made him hold his place before he could take another step.  
  
'What do you want?' Seifer snapped.  
  
'The rain that fell upon this land has not yet erased the scent of blood from it,' the guardian's deep voice rumbled through him as he answered.   
  
'So? A fiend probably died here recently,'  
  
'Don't be so quick to think that. This blood is that of a human,' Seifer's eyes narrowed at the fire guardian. Pushing the guardian back behind his wall of fire, Seifer continued to walk towards the Ragnarock. He was curious to find out what the others had learned, if they had learned anything at all. He highly doubted that they had. The ruins of the base came into sight slowly as he made his way closer to the ship. Irvine had said that the damage dealt to this place had been pretty severe.   
  
'Apparently the damage was more severe then you thought,' he thought as he surveyed the remains. The only thing left of the base was bit of the bridge and some of the floor. The explosions and their flames had ripped or burned away most of the building as well as the bodies that lay inside. Ifrit's comment upon seeing the place was morbid but true.   
  
'This is the tomb of those who were killed trying to stop this menace,' were his words. It surprised Seifer a bit at how Ifrit changed his mind so frequently. First he would be certain that the return of the sorceress would be a good thing, that way he would be able to get out and tear into the woman again. But now…. He had no idea what went on in the fire guardian's head.  
  
"Hey, Seifer!" he looked up at the false cheery greeting from Selphie as she waved from him near where the Ragnarock had landed.   
  
"Did you find anything?" she asked hopefully as he walked closer to her.   
  
"Other then some weird statue, no," He answered and held out the statue for the girl's inspection. Selphie took the small stone piece from him and examined it.   
  
"Kinda looks like Griever," she said. Seifer nodded in agreement.   
  
"Are Kinneas and those other two SeeDs back yet?"   
  
"No," Selphie sighed and handed the small statue back to him. Seifer took it and put it back in his pocket.   
  
"I'm assuming you didn't find anything either, huh?" Selphie shook her head sadly.   
  
"Nothing but mud, rocks, water, and fish," Selphie said pouting slightly. Seifer sighed a bit and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately. He didn't think that anything that might help them find Squall would be around here in the first place. He heard the calls of Irvine and the other two SeeDs as they approached. Seifer turned to face them and shot Carl, a red headed brown eyed SeeD with an attitude, an evil look as he approached. The SeeD was turning out to be a miniature of him. That was scary.   
  
"Didn't find anything huh?" Selphie asked. Irvine shook his head sadly as did both of the other SeeDs. Carl crossed his arms and huffed loudly.  
  
"This is a waste of time. There aren't going to be any clues here," he said. Brown eyes set into almond shaped sockets glanced around the group and chewed his lip.  
  
"Just curious, but does Commander Lionheart have a pendant or something on his gunblade?" the second SeeD asked softly. The group looked at him as he held his hand out to show the lion charm that always hung from Squall's gunblade. Selphie snatched it up and looked to the blonde haired SeeD.  
  
"Where did you find this?" she asked.   
  
"I'll show you," he said and ran down to the river again. The others followed quickly.  
  
Esthar  
  
Black eyes stared at the sterile looking ceiling of the hospital room. His bandaged body lay against the uncomfortable mattress. His gloves were gone but that was ok. The design on the back of them was embedded on his hands. The black gaze filled with a dark pleasure as his mind wandered to the train accident. The orchestra of pain filled his ears once more and the roaring of the flames was like a close friend. The scent of blood and charred skin was like am intoxicating and rare perfume. The sweet, metallic, warm ambrosia had filled his parched mouth and slithered down his throat. He could feel the rush of souls as the people died. The dancing of the souls among the flames was beautiful as the orchestra continued. The loud explosions pierced his ears and forced him to make his escape. The beauty of the event never left his mind as the images of where he was and what could happen to this place filled his mind.   
  
Screams erupted as the building burst into flames. Bodies of the people being treated here screamed and looked around frantically. Doctors and nurses rushed everywhere, trying to get people out. The exits were sealed. The elevator stopped working. He walked from his room, the hospital gown dapping over his thin shoulders. His thin body was embraced by the flames and the hospital gown was burned away. His deep crimson robes wrapped around his body as he stepped from the flames. People ran around screaming and the orchestra began again. The roar of the flames mingled exquisitely with the screams of the panicking.   
  
Bodies began to burst into flames as he walked down the hall. His stringy hair blew in the hot wind that erupted from the open windows. He stepped over to a body that was burning slowly and drew a knife from his robes. The steel glinted happily in the flame's light. Fearful eyes stared at him as he raised the gleeful blade. A short scream erupted from the body as the crimson ambrosia poured from the wound.   
  
He shivered in delight and looked at the doorway to his room. The orchestra would be playing soon. 


	7. Chapter 6

disclaimer: FF8 does not belong to me.   
  
Chapter 6  
  
"We'll split into teams then when some other SeeDs arrive," Irvine said tiredly. The debate on what to do had been going on for an hour after they had found Lion Heart in the river. The lion charm had been ripped from the gun blade's hilt and had caught on a rock. The blade was buried in the sand when they found it and the argument had erupted from there. The statue that Seifer had found continued to baffle them no matter how many times it was brought up. Carl seemed set to rip the towns in the area apart just to find a hint as to where the missing commander might be. The doe eyed SeeD, obviously the more sensible of the two, had shot that idea down in record time.   
  
"Any chance that we have of finding Commander Lionheart might disappear by the time those slow pokes arrive," Carl argued. Irvine pushed the urge to hit the destructive SeeD to the very back of his mind and settled to glare at him instead. Seifer, however, didn't hold back his violent urges and hit the SeeD on the back of the head.   
  
"And any clues that we may find to his whereabouts might disappear too if we tear the towns apart you idiot!" He shouted. Selphie nodded in agreement and settled into Irvine's lap.   
  
"I agree with Ivy's idea," she stated and snatched the hat off his head to place on top of her own. The doe eyed SeeD nodded as did Seifer. Carl fumed and glared at them.   
  
"And that doesn't win you any points, kid," Seifer said, glaring right back at the young SeeD.  
  
"How long will it be before more SeeDs arrive?" the doe eyed SeeD asked.   
  
"Should be in a few hours," Selphie answered. The doe eyed SeeD nodded a bit and glared at Carl.  
  
"Stop sulking you jackass," he spat. Carl glared at him and flicked him off.  
  
"Stop brown nosing then!" he shot back. Irvine quirked an eyebrow at the silently feuding pair of SeeDs and deducted that they must have some bad blood between them.   
  
"Adam, why don't you check to see if Garden has sent us a message yet?" Selphie suggested. The doe eyed SeeD nodded and stood. He walked out of the room and towards the elevator leading to the control room. Seifer turned the small television in the room on and flipped past a few channels.   
  
"Wait, Seifer, go back," Irvine said as something caught his eye. Seifer went back a few channels and stopped on the news feed from some town near Esthar. The screen showed what looked to be a hospital erupting into flames for no apparent reason. Fire fighters were trying desperately to put the growing inferno out before the flames leapt to any other buildings and began to devour them. The news caster was also saying something about people engulfed in flames walking from the building. From what Irvine could see, the people's faces were twisted into ghastly images of pain and fear. Their charred skin hung from their bodies and revealed burning muscles. Irvine felt the cold fingers of dread tear through him.   
  
He felt a darkness fall over him as he continued watching. He was dimly aware of Selphie calling him, of some one shaking him. His mind filled with the images of those charred bodies, the flames devouring the building like hungry wolves, the cold feeling in his chest growing. There was the feeling of something warm blowing across his neck and something warm pressing against his front. He felt a stinging in his hands and something warm beginning a sluggish path down his hand. He blinked at the black television screen and saw brown hair covering some of his vision. Arms were wound tightly around his shoulders and someone's breath was ghosting over his flesh.   
  
"Irvy?" Selphie questioned in a small voice. Irvine blinked again and leaned his head against hers slightly. Green veiled his vision temporarily and he felt the cold feeling being chased away. Selphie pulled back from him a bit and stared at him with worried emerald eyes. He blinked up at her confused.  
  
"Are you ok?" she asked. He nodded numbly and glanced around the room. Seifer had his head in hands and Carl looked about as pale as a sheet. Adam stood in the door way looking just as scared. Selphie hugged him to her again and let him bury his face in her shoulder. The images were forever burned into his memory. He tasted something metallic in his mouth and raised his hand to wipe it away. His hand came away smeared with blood.   
  
The shadow looked around the rain drenched town and sighed heavily. The feeling of darkness had not left him yet and only grew as he drew closer to them. He knew that something was wrong when he had spied the lion statue on the river banks five nights ago. The message disturbed even more. He had a feeling that whatever they meant was happening involved him, the black eyed demon that was so broken up over the death of the sorceress that he was driven insane by it. The shadow had found the demon's journal in his study one day. The things inside were disturbing. Shortly after, the black eyed demon had left. The shadow had taken his journal from the study and kept it with him. He had meant to show it to them but they had left shortly after the demon had. The building had fallen apart then.   
  
The shadow held the leather bound book in gloved hands and stared at it. The maliciousness hidden on the pages was frightening. Every detail of what he would do was outlined among the pages. The shadow continued its way down the street towards the outskirts of town. The rain pounded the sidewalk and the umbrellas of the town's folk mercilessly. He knew that the Lion's friends would be out searching for him. He had to reach them soon.  
  
Darkness consumed his damaged body in a warm cocoon. He could feel himself floating as images flew past him, to fast for him to see. He knew that these images were important. Important for what though? Foggy images of faces flittered past him and names brushed against his ears. He felt something wrapping around him and heard the soft sound of the waves lapping at the beach like a cat with a bowl of cream. He felt the gentle sea breeze run her fingers through his hair and felt the warm, sun drenched sand along his skin. He could hear children shouting and he could feel someone cradling him. Something was being held against the back of his head and the sound of someone crying flittered over to him.   
  
The feeling of the sand beneath his fingers was taken away as he was picked up and carried somewhere. He didn't know where this person was taking him and his heavy, sluggish limbs refused to move. His eyelids refused to open so he could see his carrier. The sound of a door opening reached his ears and soon he was set down against something soft. Running footsteps also reached his ears and he felt someone's hand wrap around his. He could still hear the crying as the warm hand around his was brushed away. Gentle fingers ran through his hair and removed the cloth that was against his skull. His body was pulled up into a sitting position and set against something soft of warm.   
  
There was a stinging sensation against his head for a few moments and then something was wrapped around it. He could feel the light start to dance around on his eyelids gently as he was laid back against the soft thing. The hand returned and someone's voice prompted him to wake up. He shifted slightly and the light burned his eyes as they fluttered open. He slammed them shut again and he could hear a squeal of joy as someone called out "He's waking up!" He tried again to open his eyes and the light wasn't so harsh this time. A woman's gentle face entered his vision. She looked worried and relieved. Why would she look relieved? He blinked up at her drowsily as she slipped an arm under his shoulders to help him sit up. Children stared up at him and a little girl with tear stains on her cheeks was gripping his hand.   
  
'Why are you crying?' he thought and tried to voice his question but no sound would leave him. The girl's green eyes spilled with tears as she hugged him. The woman rubbed the little girl's back as the children crowded around the couch he was on. Darkness began to creep along his vision as the images and feelings drifted away from him. He tried to reach out a hand to catch them, prevent them from leaving him again. Fingers curled around his and held his hand. He blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes again, a pair of worried gray eyes stared back at him. He blinked again and stared at her questioningly. She smiled a bit and leaned over and kissed his forehead.   
  
"You were staring off into space and wouldn't look at me when I called you," she explained.   
  
"Oh," he murmured. "Sorry," She shook her head and smiled.   
  
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling today?"   
  
"Ok," Star poked his head into his line of vision and squealed a bit. He smiled slightly and raised a hand to pet the little moomba. He could feel something in the back of his mind begin to crack a bit and the sound of the seagulls crying out to one another as they flew fluttered through his mind. The girl above him began to unwrap the bandages around his arms.  
  
"My name's May," she said. "I'm Lony's older sister."  
  
"Nice to meet you," he said.   
  
Dollet  
  
Black eyes stared around the city and glinted happily in the afternoon light. He was drawing closer to them he knew. With every town and every city that he entered he was getting closer to them. He couldn't wait to hear that orchestra play. Not only would the instruments of the humans be playing but the screaming metal would playing as well. The crackling of the flames and the explosions would fill him with the darkest pleasure that he could find. The lion, the raven, the hawk, the rabbit, the owl, the chocobo, and the knight would all be screaming as the flames ate their bodies. The red ambrosia from them would be the sweetest. The raven would release her dark aura as the last of the ambrosia fell from her veins. But right now, he had to seek out his next source of nourishment and listen to the orchestra play again. 


	8. Chapter 7

disclaimer: dont own FF8  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Selphie chewed her lip a bit as she watched Irvine. The Galbadian Cowboy seemed alright now as opposed to yesterday during that news broadcast. Currently, the cowboy was trying to decide who would go with who while they searched the near by towns and cities for any indication of where Squall might be. She would be going with Carl and Adam would be going with Zell. The two other SeeDs that had accompanied Zell would be a group and Irvine and Seifer would pair off as well. The only thing left to decide now was who was going to search which cities.   
  
"Why can't we just get bloodhounds or something?" one the SeeDs asked.   
  
"Because the rain would have washed the scent away by now," Irvine answered. Seifer pointed to a spot on the map and Selphie looked over his shoulder.   
  
"Irvine and I will check out the area of Leben (1) City, Ulrich Town and any other towns not mentioned on the map near Leben City," Seifer said. Selphie nodded.  
  
"Sounds good," she said and straightened. "Let's get to work, people!"   
  
Lony sighed heavily as she slid the deck door closed. Sunlight fluttered into the kitchen and danced along the granite countertops and the blue and white tile on the floor. The pale ocean green cabinets glittered ever so slightly as the light danced upon them. Lony opened the refrigerator door and looked around. She grabbed a bag of grapes from the fridge and set them on the counter. Laughter would be heard from the back yard where the children were playing. She grabbed some apples from one of the hanging baskets and some peanut butter from on of the cabinets. She pulled out the apple corer and grabbed the cutting board, setting the apples on it. Star ran into the kitchen from the living room and tugged on her pant's leg. She turned her sapphire eyes down to the little moomba and quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"What's up Star?" she asked. Star squealed and motioned to the door.   
  
"Lony?" a soft voice inquired. She looked up and blinked. Squall stood in the doorway clad in a pair of jeans that were a size or two to big for him and a white t-shirt. Lony put the apple corer down and walked over to him  
  
"I thought you weren't going to try and walk till later," she said as she put an arm around his waist. Squall draped an arm over her shoulders and let her help him to one of the stools that sat in front of the counter.   
  
"Sorry," he murmured. Lony smiled down at him and ruffled his hair a bit.   
  
"It's alright. Does your leg hurt?" Squall shook his head and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. The bandages around his arms and legs were gone and it did seem like he had walked fine when she had helped him over to the stool. Lony went back around the counter and began to extract the cores from the apples. Squall looked around the kitchen curiously and fiddled with his shirt hem. Lony smiled and grabbed a plate from the drying rack next to the sink. Placing the apple slices and some grapes on the plate she then grabbed a bowl and a spoon and opened the peanut butter jar.   
  
"What are you doing?" Squall asked. Lony smiled at the shy sound of his voice and scooped some peanut butter out of the jar and into the bowl.  
  
"Making a snack for the kids," she answered.   
  
"Kids?" She nodded.  
  
"Yep. Me and May take care of some kids here when their parents have to go to work,"   
  
"Oh," Lony glanced up at him as the put the half empty peanut butter jar in the cabinet. Squall reached over and took an apple slice from the plate. He seemed scared when he looked up at her and asked if he could have one. She smiled at him and nodded. Star squealed a bit and tugged on her pant's leg again.   
  
"Alright, Star, you can have one," she said and tossed the little moomba one of the slices. Star ran and caught it before it hit the ground and began to munch away on it. Lony laughed a bit and picked the plate and bowl up.   
  
"I'll be right back, Squall," she said and slid the door open before walking out onto the deck. May looked up from her spot at the table playing a game of go fish with some of the children and smiled.  
  
"Snack time!" she called. Lony set the plate and bowl down on the table and ducked back into the house as the kids stampeded onto the deck. Star scrambled up onto a stool beside Squall and looked outside. Lony shook her head a bit and walked back over to Squall. His blue gray eyes were staring at the wall behind him, his eyes roaming over the mural of a cliff over looking the ocean at sunset. She smiled and leaned against the counter dividing them.   
  
"That's where the story begins," she said softly. His blue gray eyes turned to regard her before going back to the painting.   
  
"What story?" he asked. She smiled and swept some of her bang out of her face.   
  
"The story of the greater beings,"  
  
"Greater beings?" he turned to her as he asked the question. She nodded and looked around.  
  
"Not many people know the story so we'll just have to keep it between us ok?" He nodded and she saw the familiar spark of curiosity that always entered a person's mind whenever someone told the story.   
  
"This story is about the greater beings, both of darkness and of light, young and old, protectors of right and wrong," she said as she began to tell the familiar tale…  
  
The sun danced along the waters and painted the sky with brilliant shades of blue, red, orange, yellow and purple as the blanket of darkness began to descend upon the world. The wind fluttered and played with the leaves upon their branches and combed her gentle fingers through the woman's hair. The woman's ebony hair billowed around her as she watched the horizon for any sign of boats. Music from the festival in the village danced through her ears and urged her to move away from the cliff where the darker spirits would soon arise from the sea and the very earth beneath her feet. The charms on the bracelets around her ankles tinkled slightly as she turned and made her way through the woods towards the village.   
  
Her bronze and silver colored dress fluttered lightly around her thin frame as she walked and met up with her chestnut haired sister. Her sister knew that from her expression the boats had made no sign of their return to the island. The warriors would most likely return in the next few days as spirits or in coffins for them to bury. The war between the Dark Hemisphere and the Light Hemisphere had been going on for centuries and only now, from recent news, had they learned that it only created a gray are where there was no fighting and lights and darks could mix and create half breeds and other things. The ebony haired girl turned her gray eyes to her sister and smiled softly. She had known of the war since their father had left years ago and ever since then had dispised it. They both knew that they would have to leave their island soon and travel to the gray area to discuss peace between their people. Even though they weren't nobles they were still requested to come. The reason why was still unclear to her.   
  
"Why'd you stop?" he asked, peering at Lony from underneath his bangs. Lony only smiled and went to rummage through the cabinets again.   
  
"It's time to start on lunch, that's why," she answered. Squall sighed and stared at the countertop. He glanced up again once he felt someone's hand on his head. Lony peered at him and smiled.   
  
"Would you like to help me?" she asked. He blinked at her and nodded slightly.  
  
Dollet  
  
The orchestra was playing loudly again. The black eyed demon's stone heart was beating rapidly as he watched the dancers and listened to the music play. The steel of his knife was humming with pleasure by now as it cut down its next victim. The sweet slightly metallic ambrosia filled his parched throat and the canteen that he had brought with him. He could feel her presence shaking in pleasure as the ambrosia filled his hollowed body. The orchestra grew louder as sirens joined in and more screams filled the air. He could feel the souls dancing as they fled their fleshy hosts. He knew that this would draw their attention. The attention of everyone would be on these strange fires and on the burning of Dollet. He could a darkness begin to grow in him and knew that it was almost time for her to be released upon the world yet again. But there were still many things to do before she would be able to be released. He licked his lips and continued on into the city.   
  
Balamb Garden  
  
The students stared in shock at the television screen. Flames were lapping at the slowly burning city of Dollet. People were screaming. The area around Dollet was burning as well. Soon there would be nothing left except a dark wasteland littered with the burned corpses of children, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and many others. Quistis ran out of her classroom and up to the head master's office. She knew who it was. And she knew where it was going next.  
  
AN: (1) Leben means Life in german. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Squall stared around at the large city before him; the towering sky scrapers amazed him. People moved around the streets with others towards their destinations. Stores filled with clothing, electronics, books and other things lined the streets. May took his arm and drew his attention back to her and Lony. It was one of the few days that they didn't have kids to watch and they were taking him shopping for clothes. He held onto May's hand as he continued looking around at all of the people and buildings. The sun was a bright thing in the blue blanket of sky. Not a cloud was insight as May and Lony pulled him into a store. A bell on the door jingled and the cool air conditioning of the store wrapped around him.   
  
He blinked and let his eyes adjust to the dimness of the store. May still had hold of his arm and pulled him gently towards the men's clothes. A few people were looking through the store at the clothes and a few of the dressing rooms were already taken. He followed May and Lony's example and started to flip through a rack of men's clothes. He looked up when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder and smiled a bit and Lony.   
  
"Here," she said handing him a few articles of clothing. "Try these on ok?"   
  
"Ok," Squall said and walked back to the dressing rooms.   
  
Leben City Entrance  
  
Seifer sighed heavily as he watched the people and the buildings speed by. Irvine had called ahead to reserve a room for them at a local hotel for a few days. Seifer had a feeling deep in his gut that there would be some kind of clue here for them just waiting to be found. Squall's gunblade sat in the backseat of the car with Hyperion. They had each taken something of Squall's just in case they would need it. They also had a picture of him to show to the people they questioned. Irvine parked the car in a parking lot of a restaurant and got out. Seifer followed him and stretched once his feet hit the ground. Seifer followed the Galbadian Cowboy in and felt his shoulder blades itch. He frowned. Usually, he felt this whenever he knew a threat was coming but this time… he could feel a sense of relief and… and hope swell in him. He followed Irvine to a table and felt the sensations of hope and relief swell even more. He looked around the room for the source of that feeling but it soon faded.   
  
"Seifer," Jade eyes blinked slightly and he looked up to meet Irvine's concerned violet ones.   
  
"Are you ok?" Irvine asked. Seifer nodded slightly and felt the frown creasing his scar lift a little.  
  
"Thought I felt something is all," he said. Irvine nodded slightly and looked at the menu. Seifer glanced at it as he felt the heat of the flames wrap around him. Amber eyes stared at him from the lionish face behind the wall of dancing, writhing flames.   
  
'Shiva has been here recently,' he rumbled. Seifer could feel his frown deepen.   
  
'She was?' Ifrit nodded.   
  
'I can still feel her presence here,' Seifer leaned back in his seat and frowned down at the menu. He heard Irvine order for them and felt the cowboy kick his leg.   
  
"What is up with you?" Irvine asked.   
  
"Ifrit says Shiva was here recently," he muttered. He could feel Irvine's eyes bore into him and knew that he was asking his own Guardians for confirmation.   
  
"She's still around here… somewhere…" he trailed off and glanced up as their food came. They ate quickly and paid the bill before leaving.   
  
"Let's check in and then start looking," Irvine said. He nodded agreement and felt the itching in his shoulder blades subside. Once they were on the road again heading for their hotel they heard the news. Dollet had been burned to the ground sometime late in the afternoon yesterday. The area around Dollet was a waste land and the fiends in the area were feasting on the corpses. Seifer could feel the tendrils of dread seep into him again as the details were made clear. Seifer silenced the news broadcast and stared straight ahead. The feeling of dread was warring with the feelings of hope and relief and he knew that they were close.   
  
Balamb Garden  
  
Quistis ran her fingers through her hair frantically as everyone was forced to leave Garden. She knew who had burned Dollet and that hospital in Esthar and that train in the Estharian Plains. It was that black eyed demon, the one who wished to revive the sorceress. The Garden was mostly silent now. Only the people in the medical ward were being moved now. The dorms were deserted and the cafeteria lay silent. The training center was devoid of all human life and the Quad was nearly lifeless except for the plants. She stepped outside the garden and stared up at the sky. She knew that in a matter of days the evening sky was going to be alight with the flames from this place. A sick feeling settled into her stomach as she pictured it. Flames eating the garden up like they were wolves tearing into the carcass of a moose or something like that.   
  
She imagined the state of the students that considered this place home for so many years. The darkness started to embrace the world once again. She imagined that Irvine and the others would be sitting down to lunch right about now and prayed for their safety and success. She heard her name being called and walked to the car holding the head master and two other SeeDs. She climbed into the front passenger seat and buckled up. Bidding one last goodbye to her home she watched it speed away in the rear view mirror.   
  
Dark eyes watched in sadness as everyone left Balamb and the Garden. The orchestra would not play here. Fiend blood was a vile drink and he would not enter the Garden to retrieve such a thing. Her voice compelled him to return to the garden that had supported her. He turned and entered the water again to go to that place. Fish blood would have to sustain him for now. At least until he could taste their blood. He only needed one of them to revive her and tear the Raven's body limb from limb. He could see it now. As he feasted on the flesh of one of them there would be screams of pain from the Raven that hardly anyone could endure. The most delicious feelings of dread, fear, rage, and pain would tear through him as he watched her body be consumed by the dark flames of her being.   
  
He could hear the screams of horror and shock as they all watched. He could hear the orchestra playing the background as a much more powerful orchestra took over! He could see the flames dancing, her body writhing with the most delicious pain and the most exquisite thing would happen! Her skin would peel away from her and her muscles, organs, bones, nerves, arteries and veins would be exposed! The sense of hopelessness would consume everything like the flames and feed her! The sweet ambrosia would quench her eternal thirst for it and no one would stand in her way!   
  
He felt pleasure swell in him as he envisioned it. Nothing would stop him. Nothing would stop her from returning. Not even the Lion and his entire army of lackeys. The Knight would be the first to have his throat ripped out and the Hawk would be shot down. The Owl's quick thinking would be of no use to them and the Rabbit could not move fast enough to avoid her onslaught. The Chocobo's strength and speed would fail and the orchestra would rise and the flames would consume them! He shivered in anticipation. He could not wait for that night to come. And it would come very… very soon. 


	10. Chapter 9

Dislcaimer: don't own FF8.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
He could hear the sea gulls again. They were calling loudly as they flew over the crystal waters. He could smell the salt on the breeze as she played with his hair. The water tickled his toes and the sand was cool from where the water ran up on it. He hugged his arms around his small frame and stared out at the sea with depressed gray eyes. Sis had just left them, just left him. He felt empty, cold, alone…. The other kids were all talking with matron about why Sis had left. He didn't want to know. It would just make him feel colder. Before Sis had left she had made him promise her that he would be strong and protect the ones that he cared about.   
  
Arms wrapped around his small frame and sounds like crystal bells hit his ears. He blinked slowly and looked up at the person holding him. Matron smiled down at him and hugged him. He looked away from her, turned his tear filled gray eyes away from her dark pity filled ones. The other kids were playing. He could hear them. One of them was calling to him, calling for him to come and play with them. He didn't want to. He couldn't. He heard someone calling his name as his legs carried him away from them, away from the pain and the emptiness that Sis had left for them. He didn't care where he was going as long as he got away from them. He didn't want anyone to hold him and tell him that everything was ok and that Sis had gotten adopted or whatever.   
  
He felt arms circle around him and scoop him up. He struggled and fought to get away. He didn't want them to hold him! He wanted them to go away and leave him alone! He felt the arms tighten their hold around him and someone rubbing his back. Still he struggled to get away. He felt tears rolling down his face and slowly he stopped struggling and collapsed into tears, letting the person hold him. He could hear them murmuring something to him but he didn't care what it was. He wanted Sis back.   
  
Blue gray eyes flickered open slowly and stared around the room. His vision was blurred by something and he could feel something rolling down his cheeks. He blinked and sat up slowly. Star was curled up beside him asleep. Squall wiped his eyes on his arm and blinked again. There was a cold, empty feeling in his chest and a lump in his throat. He swallowed past it and stood slowly form the bed. His legs shook ever so slightly but he grabbed a pair of jeans from one of the clothing bags and pulled them on over his boxers. He kept the large t-shirt on and walked quietly from the room, leaving the door open a bit so Star could come out when he wanted to. His hair was tussled from sleep and he could hear voices coming from the kitchen.   
  
His legs carried him into the room and found Lony half asleep at the counter on one of the stools. May smiled up at him from the stove and went back to cooking whatever she was cooking for breakfast. Squall took a seat beside Lony and put an arm around her waist when she laid his head on her shoulder. May put a plate in front of each of them and brushed a finger across his cheek.   
  
"Bad dream?" she asked. Squall blinked up at her and shrugged a bit.   
  
"I guess," he said. May didn't question him further but placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before putting some pancakes on his plate. Lony sniffed the air and blinked her eyes open sleepily.   
  
"I smell pancakes," she said and looked at her plate where May had just placed some.   
  
"Chocolate chip pancakes," May clarified. Lony grinned and licked her lip before grabbing the syrup and pouring a generous amount on them.   
  
Violet eyes surveyed the cityscape from the balcony attached to the hotel room and yawned slightly. He could feel the faintest caress of winter against his skin even though the sun drenched everything it touched with summer warmth. Diablos hid in the shadows of his mind and cursed the sunlight. Irvine knew that the guardian could sense Shiva's presence somewhere in this city. He also knew that Seifer and Ifrit could feel it too. The question was where was she? If they could pinpoint her location they could find Squall. But the problem was that her presence was incredibly faint and it seemed to be everywhere. Their chances of finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack (pardon the cliché).   
  
He felt something spark in him and Shiva's presence getting closer. He heard the faint voice of the newscaster on the television telling of another town being burned to the ground. They didn't have a lot of time before that demon would come here, or go to Garden. Irvine looked over his shoulder and saw Seifer snoozing peacefully. He scowled and walked over to the former Knight. Grabbing the side of the bed, the Galbadian Cowboy flipped the bed and dumped it's occupant on the floor. Seifer swore loudly and glared at him.   
  
"We have to find Squall," he said. "Another town has been burned." Seifer looked at the screen and stood.  
  
"Let's get dressed, grab some breakfast and start looking,"   
  
Blue gray eyes darted around the massive park. Children were running around laughing or on the swings with May pushing them, or on the other things in the park. Lony chased the kids around acting like some sort of animal. Squall sat on a bench and watched them. His legs were aching and protesting the long walk to the park. His sides ached as well as his back and arms. His head pounded and the light was trying to blind him. The breath of winter graced his neck and the sound of crystal bells reached his ears. He was dimly aware of the kids cheering and someone laughing near him. A pair of strong, blue tinted arms wrapped around his shoulders and a cocoon of winter's air fluttered over him, leaving little kisses of icyness on his skin.   
  
Blue colored locks fluttered into his vision and the sound of the crystal bells didn't fade. A sense of safety and peace washed over him before a warm hand gripped his. He blinked and turned his eyes down to meet the warm honey colored ones of a little girl. She smiled at him and tugged on his arm gently.  
  
"Come one, Squall!" she exclaimed. "Leo's here!" Squall cocked his head to the side and stood. Winter's breath did not leave him and he felt his formerly aching body filled with energy and not the least bit achy. The girl tugged him over to the group of kids gathered around a man dressed in a black cloak. The cloak was buttoned closed and the kids were trying to get it open, saying something about presents. Lony was attached to the man's back and gnawing on something while May was standing near the group laughing. The little girl let go of his hand and ran forward. May put an arm around his shoulders and half hugged him. He blinked up at her and cocked his head to the side.  
  
"Who's that?" he asked.   
  
"That's Leo. He comes by every month with gifts for the children. Usually, he's somewhere in the world looking for new legends to share with Lony and me,"   
  
"Oh," Squall turned his gaze back to the silver haired man and watched as the children tackled him once his cloak was open.  
  
"He's a master of illusions and hides all the gifts he brings in his cloak," May said as the man pulled himself from the pile of gifts and children. Lony was still attached to his back and seemed quite content to stay there. Leo's honey colored eyes warmed greatly as they were placed on May and with a flourish he pulled out a bouquet of roses and handed it to her. May smiled and took them from his gloved fingers.  
  
"For the lovely lady who continues to steal my heart every time we meet," he said. Squall instantly didn't like him. He didn't know why but something in him told him not to trust the guy. Lony hopped off Leo's back and took Squall's arm.  
  
"Squall, this is Leo," she said. "Leo, this is Squall." Leo turned and smiled.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, offering his hand. Squall stared at the hand then back up at Leo.  
  
"You too," he said. Lony's grip on his arm tightened and he could feel her frowning at him. Leo smirked ever so slightly and Squall could swear that he saw a darkness flash in Leo's eyes. Leo turned back to the kids as they called to him and walked back over to them. Squall watched him until Lony's stare demanded his attention. He looked down at her and shook his head slightly.  
  
"I don't like him," he said simply. Lony looked back at Leo still frowning but turned back to him and grinned.  
  
"That's ok. As long as you two don't get into a fight or something then ok," she said. Squall smiled down at her and looked back to the kids. They seemed really happy to see Leo.  
  
Seifer could have sworn that he felt a swell of power from somewhere in the park. He knew that Irvine had felt it too. He also knew that that was why they were racing there right now. Ifrit seemed agitated that they were heading towards the Ice Queen and had buried himself behind the wall of fire. He could feel them getting closer to the source of that icy swell and ran all the more faster. Irvine was a few feet ahead of him and jumped the railing of a hill that was part of the park. Seifer followed and slid down the hill after Irvine. The feeling grew and he knew that with just a few more steps they would find him. The sound of kids tackling some one reached his ears and he paused beside Irvine. The Galbadian Cowboy was staring at a pile of kids and a certain brown tuft of hair sticking out from it. The kids fell away from their victim and someone stood up from the pile. Seifer felt wave after wave of relief flood him as he saw Squall, alive and unharmed.   
  
He glanced over to Irvine and saw the cowboy grinning madly. He felt blue gray eyes settle on him and looked back to see Squall staring at them. One of the kids tugged on his arm to try and get his attention but it didn't work. Irvine took a few steps towards and spoke his name. Squall just stared at them, a look of distant remembrance tracing his features. The kids continued to try to get his attention but failed. A girl with chestnut colored hair and blue eyes walked over to him and tugged on his sleeve. Squall continued to stare at them even as his legs gave out. The kids cried out in alarm and the girl caught him. Seifer followed Irvine closer to the group and stared back at the man whose blue gray eyes stared at them hollowly. Seifer didn't like that look in his eyes and prayed for it to go away quickly. Squall just continued to stare at them as the girl shook him and called his name. Seifer watched life slowly flood into those eyes again and watched Squall turn his head and peer up at the girl that held him.   
  
"Who are they?" he murmured. Irvine felt his heart stop and a cold feeling race through him. They had found Squall. Relief had filled him… but now… Squall didn't remember them and cold fingers of some depressed emotion tore through him and ripped the only shred of hope he had had from his heart.   
  
AN: ok in chapter 7 Lony started telling the story of the greater beings and i just re read that and wanted to tell you that the first two people in that story are not may and lony. they are two completly different people. both girls have coffee colored skin and may and lony are white. sorry if i confused anyone. kk bye bye and hope you enjoyed this chapter!! 


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: dont own FF8.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Lony sighed heavily as she shut the door to her room. Rain pelted the windows in an unrelenting punishment for some crime that was committed. Seifer Almasy and Irvine Kinneas sat in the living room. Their expressions showed their great disappointment in finding their comrade with no memory of who he was or who they were. Lony stepped into the kitchen quietly and snatched something off the tray of food that May was preparing.   
  
"How is he?" May asked.   
  
"He's asleep right now. He said he had a headache so I gave him some aspirin and sent him to bed," May nodded and picked up the tray.   
  
"You'll have to help me explain his condition to them," May said before leaving the room. Lony stared out at the drowning land outside of the sliding glass doors and felt a heavy weight settle on her. The ocean tones of the kitchen, meant to calm and soothe her, did nothing as she stared at them and the mural.   
  
"Lony," May called from the living room. Lony finished what she was nibbling on and walked out into the living room. She examined each of them before settling onto the window seat. Seifer seemed content to stay silent and stare at May as she spoke. Irvine seemed like he wanted to get up and run into her room and take Squall away.  
  
"Lony found him on the river bank about a week ago," May said.  
  
"He healed that fast?" It was Irvine who spoke.  
  
"Don't act so surprised, cowboy, we had a lot of Cure magic to use on him," Lony spoke up. Irvine glanced at her and hit his forehead.   
  
"Duh, sorry." He said. Lony waved it off and stared at the rain drenched world.   
  
"How much of his memory is gone?" Seifer asked.   
  
"All of it. He only remembered his name when he woke up and even remembering that was a challenge." May answered. Seifer chewed his lip thoughtfully.   
  
"It's possible that he may never get his full memory back. And if that happens then you can't force him to remember," May continued. Lony tuned out the conversation and let May take care of it. The rain pelted the windows and the rest of the house mercilessly and the once dry ground was now begging for the rain to stop before everything was flooded. Lony watched the shadows for the thing that she suspected was there but found nothing. Leo had left on another trip shortly after Squall's little spell. He had said that he was hunting demons.   
  
'What was he talking about?' Lony wondered. She jumped when a loud bang came from her room. There was the sound of shattering glass and something else. Screaming. Cold fingers of dread latched onto her as she ran for her room, May, Irvine and Seifer following her. Star was running around the room frantically and a black shape was thrown across the room. Squall sat curled up on the bed staring at the gun like it was a snake ready to bite him and inject him with it's venom. Lony ran over to the frightened boy and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't notice her. May scooped up Star and the gun and stared at the broken window. Glass lay beside Squall and one fairly large piece threatened to gouge his eye out. Lony placed a hand on the spooked Lion's shoulder and slowly tried to calm him. Irvine walked over to them slowly while Seifer turned on May.   
  
Fire. He could feel it, hear it, smell it, see it. It was everywhere. Consuming everything like ravenous wolves. He could hear screaming and gun fire. He could feel his mother's footsteps running away from the flames, from the gunfire. He could hear his papa shouting at them to keep running as he fell behind. He heard the laughter of those men as the raided the town and took what ever they wanted. He could hear children crying or screaming. He could feel the cold snakes of death slithering towards their feast of souls. He felt his mother stumble and clutch him closer to her. He could more foot steps and heard more gun fire, closer this time. His mother stumbled. She fell. Warmth flooded onto his from somewhere and when he looked down, something red and warm was flowing from his mother's chest. He looked into his mother's slowly dieing eyes and felt his heart shatter. Tears flooded his eyes and blurred his vision. They streaked down his face even as his vision turned to black.   
  
Lony pulled Squall to her and rocked back and forth. She could hear Seifer's infuriated interrogation in the living room and she could feel Irvine presence in the room. The Galbadian Cowboy said nothing as she continued to sooth Squall. She heard the argument in the living room die slightly as Irvine shut the door. She glanced up at him and saw the troubled look on his face. Squall clutched her desperately and refused to let her go. She knew that just by holding she was helping to calm him and knew that Irvine's presence was helping as well. The cowboy slowly walked over to them and kneeled beside the bed staring at Squall. The troubled look only deepened as he reached out a hand to touch Squall's arm. Squall didn't jerk away from him but he didn't calm down either.   
  
Mountains near the Shumi Village  
  
'It worked,' he thought as he watched the frightened Lion clutch his savior. The Hawk was there too and he just knew that he had seen what the Lion had just "remembered". Her voice still echoed in his head when she told him to show that to the boy.   
  
"If he is frightened then he will push memories away instead of embracing them and this way, he shall be off guard when the feast begins."   
  
He shivered in delight as he drank up the fear that flooded into him from the Lion's heart. The hawk was just as spooked. He could feel their combined fear and their worries as their hearts continued to push that sweet ambrosia through their veins. Soon… whispered through his mind as he continued walking. Very soon indeed. 


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: dont own FF8  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Their thin and graceful frames leapt and twirled in the fire's light as the music continued to play. The children watched them and many other women joined in the dance. The men were not able to do this one because of the many things it required of the dancers. The fire glinted off their coffee colored skin and their bracelets joined in on the tune. The younger sister's chestnut hair swirled around her as an image began to take shape in the flames. The firelight played with the ebony locks of her older sister and created the illusion that they were dancing among the flames. The music continued to grow louder and louder as the images of birds grew in the flames. The images became real and tiny fire birds flew from their home and swirled about the dancers and musicians and spectators.   
  
The sisters continued to dance and swirl around the flames that licked at them as the music continued. The musicians were not surprised by this happening. It had happened many times before. A pair of gray eyes watched them from the edge of the light as a pair of golden eyes watched from the roof of a house. It would be very soon that the two sisters would have to leave the island and head to the gray area. There was no doubt that they didn't know why they were going even if it was clear to everyone else. Those two could call the great spirits from their homes and ask them to do great or horrible things. The darkness and the light wanted them to join their sides. No matter what. And it was their job to protect them from whoever tried to hurt them.  
  
Squall's breath brushed against her neck as he fell asleep, the story still ringing in his ears. Lony's fingers brushed through his hair one last time before she laid him back on the bed. Irvine was also starting to fall asleep she noticed and Star had already curled up next to Squall and was sleeping soundly. Lony swept the glass off the bed and into the trash, ignoring the pieces that sliced into her skin, and pulled the covers around Squall and Star. She shook Irvine a bit and left the room. Irvine soon followed and the sound of arguing died down considerably once she entered the room.   
  
"How is he?" May asked quietly.   
  
"He's asleep. So is Star," May nodded and turned to Seifer.   
  
"That gun was in her night stand drawer for protection," she said. "There have been a recent string of robberies in this neighborhood and we'd like to feel protected." Lony sighed and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of water. The setting sun cast a rainbow of colors across the sky as she walked out onto the porch. The darkness seemed so far away. The breeze was cleared of the heavy anxiety that the rest of the world was feeling. The scent of smoke did not linger in the air nor brush against her skin and the icy feeling in her gut had left for a short time but was slowly making it's way back to her. She could feel the breeze combing her hair softly and the sun's portrait of colors soothed her. The darkness was being held back but it wouldn't be long before it was released upon the world once more.   
  
Mountains near the Shumi Village   
  
Shumi blood was as vile tasting as the fiends that he had once encountered along these fields. Now, not one fiend approached his slowly moving form. A dark smirk twisted the demon's lips as he continued forward, towards the city of life where the Lion now resided after that rain drenched night. He had already sent many of the people that he had taken to his side to that city. He heard that there were sweet tasting children there… many sweet tasting children. He shivered as the thought flittered through his dusty head and reached Her. He could feel Her pleasure at the thought of the young ones' ambrosia filling her throat and burning away the lust. He sighed in pleasure as that thought filled his throat with the very taste of it. He couldn't wait for that day when he arrived. The town would be covered by darkness and the people wouldn't even notice.   
  
The Lion, The Hawk and The Knight could do nothing to stop him and his followers as they drained the area of ambrosia. It would also be a sweet time to spill some of their blood into the dry canteen that was about his neck. He sighed forlornly as the sun began to rise on this half of the world. On the other it was merely night fall. The dawn's light painted the sky with dark hues of blue gradually fading to a light sky blue tinted with yellow as the sun began its assent into the silken blanket of sky that he wished would fall and reveal the darkness that lay beneath it. But, alas, it would not happen this day. No on this day he would feast upon a small village at the base of the mountains. It appeared that they too had children here. He licked his lips and entered the town.   
  
Sunlight danced into the room through the filter of trees by the window. The little hole in the glass let the wind flitter through and play with his hair. The little Moomba beside him stirred slightly and caused him to awaken. His blue gray eyes fluttered open slowly and he narrowed his eyes against the assault. The breeze wafted in and brought the fresh scent of the outside world to him. His body refused to move and get up but the sound of kids yelling and having fun made his protesting body move and get dressed. Limbs moved slowly in the morning haze and slowly brought him to the living room. The room was empty. He frowned slightly but shrugged and went into the kitchen. The sliding glass door was open and let the breeze flow through the room. Star ran passed him and out the door as the kids' laughter floated in on the breeze.   
  
Tired muscles protested the movement as he trekked across the tiled floor to the door and peered outside. Kids were running around shrieking with laughter as two men chased them playfully. One of them had a cowboy hat while the other, the blonde one was playing cards with the kids at a picnic table set out in the massive back yard. May was curled up on a swing playing a board game with two of children while Lony was no where to be seen. Squall frowned faintly and stepped outside. One of the kids that the cowboy was chasing ran over to him and gripped his hand, chirping a sunny good morning at him. He smiled down at the girl and ruffled her hair giving her a quiet greeting as well. The blonde glanced up at him then back to the card game as one of the kids at the table claimed that it was his turn. Squall moved to the swing that May was comfortably curled up on and sat down at the other end. May moved and puts her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Sleep well?" she asked quietly. He bit his lip a bit and nodded faintly. In truth he hadn't slept that well at all. May pointed a finger at the blonde playing cards and apparently loosing.  
  
"That's Seifer and the one with the cowboy hat is Irvine," she said. He nodded slightly and chewed his lip thoughtfully. The name's sounded awfully familiar… he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and refused to acknowledge them. Something was plopped onto his head and he tried to move it so he could look up but all he could move was his eyes and his bangs blocked most of his vision.   
  
"You must act like a kitty now," Lony said from above him. He blinked and looked up at her confused. She moved something on his head and he realized that it was a head band with cat ears on it. May pulled it off his head and put it on Lony's.   
  
"Wrong," she said. "You must act like a kitty now," Lony blinked at her then bounced off the porch to chase a small group of kids playing in the sandbox. Squall blinked confused. He could tell that Seifer was confused as well and so was Irvine. May laughed lightly at their confused faces as the other kids abandoned their games to run around and chase Lony.   
  
"It's this old game that we made up a while ago," May started to explain. "What would happen is we would get these headbands with different animal ears or something on it and the person wearing them would have to act like that animal. Lony's the best at it so she usually gets stuck playing the game though I don't think she minds that much anymore." Squall nodded slightly and watched as Lony chased the kids around. Irvine walked up onto the porch and sat down in front of the swing.  
  
"Those kids must eat sugar for breakfast or something," he said. May chuckled slightly and snatched Irvine's cowboy hat off his head.   
  
"Hey!!" he yelled. Squall frowned slightly as he tried to push the image of a seven year old Irvine chasing a little girl who had a huge cowboy on her head. They were kicking up sand as they ran down the beach while three other kids were laughing. He smelled fire again and shoved the image away. He stood and went back into the house, ignoring Irvine and May's concerned looks. His feet stopped moving and he turned his up to peer at the mural painted on the kitchen wall. The waves crashed up against the cliff rocks while more gentle waves lapped at the sand on the beach. The sun painted the sky and the waters with varying shades of orange, red, yellow, and as the sky grew darker, velvety blue and purple.   
  
He could see another sunset like this one, only different. There was a house up on the hill from the little beach and rocks protruded from the sands. A lighthouse stood on the cliff about a mile away while stone steps led up to the house from the beach. The little house was cozy and big enough for six children and two adults to stay inside on the coldest winter days. There were mats laid out on the cool grass of the back yard, ready for stubborn five, six, seven and eight year olds to take their afternoon naps after lunch. A few toys were strewn about the beach during the day while a chair with an umbrella over it was set up for a young woman to sit in and watch the children play once her chores were done. A van pulled up with people once every few months with prospective parents inside, eager to look at the children and see if any of them would be perfect for them. The cool ocean waters always lapped at his feet when he stood near the edge. He looked out at the waters and felt safe and content. He fell back onto the sand and let the waters rush up to run their cool fingers through his hair and brush against his skin. He didn't even feel the crack of pain that laced through him when his head collided with the tile floor. 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
There was screaming, a lot of screaming. Everyone was screaming and running. Feet pounded against the earth as they ran and the flames tried to lick at their skin and clothing. The men in their torn and tattered clothing were laughing as they began to torch the town. The town's men were all running or fighting. The mothers were carrying crying and screaming children from the town. Some were riding horses but the animals were shot down. The flames were lighting the midnight sky with their graceful and hungry dance. He watched fearfully as his father was shot down and gutted. Blood poured from his father's throat and his slayer fell to his knees to drink and bathe in the red river. His mother forced his eyes away from his father and continued running. The scent of smoke was thick in the air and he could tell that his mother was struggling just to continue running.   
  
The scent of smoke and the feeling of his mother carrying him faded to be replaced by the scent of the ocean air and the feeling of sand flying up under his running feet. He was a different boy now, out in the open at the beach as a storm began. There was someone calling to him as he ran, tears blurring his vision and sand clinging to his legs. There was a cliff with a lighthouse not half a mile away. That he could make out with his blurry vision. The person chasing him caught up and swung him into their arms. He struggled to get away but the person only held onto him tighter. Slowly, he stopped struggling and sobbed into the person's shoulder. The person's fingers ran through his hair soothingly and her voice whispered through his ears. He clung to the woman as she started to walk back to that stone building. It was almost naptime and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep this afternoon.   
  
Blue gray eyes shot open and looked around the room frantically. The afternoon sun ran into the room delightedly and made the room seem very warm. He tried to sit up but his vision swam. Blinking, he forced himself up and looked around. Star was gone and the door was open slightly to let the little Moomba in or out of the room. Lony was also gone and that made him feel scared. Swinging his still shaky legs over the edge of the bed he stood slowly and used the wall and furniture as support to make his way to the door. Stepping out of the room he could hear voices coming from the living room. Slowly, he stumbled forward and nearly ran into the man with the cowboy hat, Irvine he remembered quickly.   
  
"Squall, what are you doing out bed?" he asked worriedly. He ignored him and continued towards the living room. Irvine took his arm gently and moved to help him walk but he shoved him away.  
  
"Leave me alone," he spat. Ignoring Irvine's look of concern he walked into the living room. May looked up a bit startled and stood to help him.  
  
"What are you doing out of bed, Squall?" she scolded gently and eased him into a chair.   
  
"Where's Lony?" he countered. He felt a little better since May was around and Star leaping into his lap made him feel better also.   
  
"She and Seifer went out to take the kids home and get some dinner. Neither of us really feel like cooking right now,"   
  
"Oh," Squall murmured. May settled onto the armrest and regarded him calmly. The dizziness was still there but it wasn't as bad. Irvine sat down on the couch fiddling with his gloves. Squall bit his lip and petted Star.   
  
"Did you remember something?" May asked quietly. He shook his head quickly and fought down the wave of dizziness that caused and the slight bit of nausea. May placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.   
  
"What did you remember?"   
  
"Nothing," he snapped. Star squeaked a bit and leapt off his lap and onto the couch with Irvine. He stared at the floor coldly and felt that same icy presence again. It blocked out May's concerned voice and the feeling of her hand on his shoulder. The blue locks of hair appeared in his line of vision again. The sound of little bells reached his ears and calmed him. His brow furrowed in confusion and he tired to shove the presence away. It only held onto him tighter and a feeling of panic started to wiggle into his chest. The presence still would not leave him as he continued to try and push it away. There were arms around him that wouldn't let him go and a feeling of warmth and safety began to override the panic. Dizziness started up again and his hands pushed against the warm thing holding onto his arms. His skin burned and nausea flooded up his throat. He fought down the bile and shoved the presence roughly away from him. The warmth clinging to his arms was like steel and he couldn't get away.   
  
"Squall!" someone's voice barked. He blinked and saw that he was staring wide eyed into a pair of worry ridden violet eyes. His breath came in huge gulps of air and the temperature in the room felt a lot colder then it had been. His hands were pressed against Irvine's chest in an attempt to push him away.   
  
"Are you ok?" Irvine's voice asked softly, worriedly. Squall nodded numbly and pushed weakly against his chest, a silent plea for Irvine to let him go. Irvine's hands released their grip slowly and he backed off a bit to sit on his heels. Squall pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at the floor confused and frightened. Something cut into his hand sharply and he winced a bit. Uncurling the fingers of his left hand he stared at the pendant and the chain it was on. The lion was frozen forever in a silent roar of anger or anguish. The pendant had made an indent in his hand and he didn't notice Irvine bite his lip in nervousness. He traced a finger over the details in silent wonder at the craftsman's ship of the piece and lifted it from his hand for his blue gray eyes to inspect.   
  
"We found it in the river," Irvine said softly. He glanced up at the cowboy then back to the necklace.   
  
"It was one the bank near a flattened patch of grass," Squall turned the pendant over and over in his hands inspecting it. A name fluttered into his mind, past the walls and barriers that kept everything at bay.   
  
"Griever…" he whispered. Irvine's eyes shot up to him but he ignored it. The lion glinted slightly in the dieing sunlight and seemed to glow a bit.   
  
"Who's Griever?" May asked quietly. Squall held the necklace up to her and tapped the pendant. May looked at it and nodded slightly, smiling faintly.   
  
"It's nice," Squall nodded in agreement and handed it back to Irvine. Irvine shook his head.  
  
"It's not mine," he said. "It's yours." Squall hesitated and slowly pulled the necklace back to him and stared at it solemnly. Star squealed and broke the tense atmosphere when the front door opened.   
  
"We're back!" Lony called. May slipped off the armrest and went to help Lony and Seifer with the bags.   
  
"I got steak and shrimp, salad, rolls, and strawberry shortcake for dessert," Lony said happily. May licked her lips and took the bags, allowing Lony to bounce over to Squall and hug him.  
  
"And what are you doing out of bed?" she asked. Squall ignored it and wrapped his arms around her waist, the necklace still held in his hand. Lony kissed his forehead and poked his shoulder.   
  
"You like strawberries right?" she asked. Squall shrugged a bit and bit his lip.  
  
"Seifer can't have any," he said quietly.  
  
"How come?"   
  
"He's allergic," his voice came out slightly muffled cause he didn't like the looks Irvine and Seifer were giving him.   
  
"Oh, well that's ok cause we got chocolate cake too!" Long said cheerfully and sped off into the kitchen, Star bounding after her. Seifer flopped onto the couch and sighed.  
  
"I hate kids," he mumbled.   
  
"Why?" Irvine asked.  
  
"They're loud, hyper active, don't shut up, run everywhere, get into everything, never stop asking questions, need I go on?" Irvine snorted at Seifer's complaint.  
  
"Just deal with it, Seifer," he said. Squall watched them for a minute before standing and going into the kitchen.  
  
"Can I help?" he asked. Lony shook her head and pushed him gently into the living room again.  
  
"Nope! After hitting your head again you need to sit down cause I just know that you're feeling dizzy. You can steal the remote from Seifer and watch T.V. if you want or we have some cards or something but you're gonna take it easy for a while," she declared. Squall pouted but she wisely turned back and walked into the kitchen.   
  
Leben City Park  
  
Selphie sighed heavily as she walked through the park. Irvine and Seifer hadn't been in their hotel room and their cell phones were turned off so she had no way of contacting them to see if they had found Squall. A scan of the town's that she had to search provided nothing as to where the Balamb Commander might be and the hope of ever finding him was slowly fading. Carl had disappeared somewhere in the last town but she figured he would call if he needed her to pick him up. She was glad thought that he had disappeared. The guy was a jerk who couldn't keep his mouth shut for five seconds. She wasn't any better really but she at least had an idea of when to shut up and when to speak.   
  
Selphie sighed yet again and looked up to the sky. The final rays of light from the sun were dipping below the horizon and painting the sky a beautiful midnight blue. The city sounds were dull down here but still present. Her bright green eyes scanned the tiny forest around her and landed on a little boy on the swing set. His knee length brown shorts were a bit dirty and the gray sweatshirt he wore was torn. His bare feet brushed the sand under the swing he was on his blonde hair hid his eyes. She walked over to him and kneeled before him.  
  
"Hey, little guy, are you lost?" she asked quietly. The boy didn't move only continued to sway back and forth on the swing. She cocked her head to side and tried again.   
  
"Where are your parents?" again the boy didn't answer and only sat on the swing silently. Reaching out a hand to touch the boy finally got a reaction out of him. Slowly, the boy's head rose up and he stared at her. Selphie's gemstone eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. Slowly, the boy's skin started to peel away from his face and his eyes rolled about in the withering sockets. His hair started to thin and his clothes drooped from his body. She scrambled away as he dropped from the swing.   
  
"Don't let…" he whispered. His voice scratchy in his decaying throat. The skin around his eyes began to fall and his lips were pulled back to show yellowing teeth. He reached out a hand to her and the skin began to peel away from his fingers revealing bone and muscles, the veins and nerves mearly shriveled things under the skin. His short fell away from his thinning body and the sweatshirt sagged on his shoulders.   
  
"Don't let… the darkness… touch you… rabbit…" his eyes fell from his sockets and hung there. He took one final step before he collapsed, his body continuing to decompose. Her body had a mind of it's own as it ran from the park and followed the burning trail Ifrit had left behind. 


	14. Chapter 13

disclaimer: Don't own FF8.  
  
An: sorry it took so long to get this chappy up but school started like two weeks ago. i'll try and get the next one up sooner.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
The sky was crying again. Its tears ran down his blissful face in tiny rivulets attempting to wash the ambrosia and darkness from him. His body moved. Then moved again. It was going forward, towards the final victim. The rabbit had made contact with the little boy in the park. The boy that was rotting under the swing set that they never thought to look under. His decomposing body had arisen from its earthen prison to send a message to the frightened little rabbit. Apparently, she had found his next target. The city of light was just over the horizon and he hoped that he could reach it by mid morning three days from now. He licked his lips as the anticipation and the thought of that sweet ambrosia flowing again. And the best part was that they didn't even know that he was coming.  
  
A tingle began to run along his back as the feeling of something powerful grew stronger. He didn't know what it was or why it was making him feel anxious. Gentle fingers ran through his hair as his sleep-fogged mind began to awaken once more. There was the sound of a television and people talking. There was something really soft under him and something furry sitting against his stomach. His head was cushioned on someone's lap and the person's gentle fingers tugged his unruly hair free of the tiny tangles that riddled it. There was a pounding on the door and the talking died for a moment as someone opened it. A cry of alarm was heard and the door was shut from the dark and crying sky. Slowly, he pulled himself free of the comfort of the weightless, dreamless sleep world that he loved to inhabit. The light burned his sleepy eyes when h opened them and his ears slowly started to pick up the bits of conversation going on around him.  
  
Irvine was talking to someone who was crying and the television was shut off. Slowly, cautiously, he opened his eyes again to view the world of those who were awake and the gentle fingers in his hair stilled. Someone was scolded and he rubbed at his eyes to rid them of the heavy veil of sleep they had been under. The furry thing was now propped on his side and watching something that was happening. He blinked slowly and let his eyes adjust to the light of the world of wakefulness before turning his head to look around the room. May was sitting in one of the armchairs and Seifer, who had been sitting in front of the couch, was missing. Irvine was also missing from his seat in the other armchair and the sounds of people talking were still present. Star squealed once he noticed that he was awake and nudged his chin. He lifted one heavy arm to pet the little moomba and turned his head to look up at Lony, whose lap he was currently using for a pillow. She smiled down at his sleepy form and scratched his head slightly. Star moved so he could roll onto his back then settled to lie on his stomach again.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked sleepily and let a yawn escape from his throat. There was silence for a moment before bright emerald eyes in a childish like face streaked with the sky's tears and damp brown hair peered over the top of the couch at him. The person's eyes widened in shock then brimmed with tears when she saw him.  
  
"Squall," she murmured. He rubbed his eyes again and nodded slightly.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked the girl and instantly saw her expression change from joyful relief to crushed depression. He didn't understand why she had that look on her face. It was the same look that Irvine and Seifer had had when they saw him. A pang of recognition flitted through his heart and mind and an image tried to surface as well as a name but he shoved it back into the box it had slithered from. The girl smiled sadly down at him and scrubbed at her eyes.  
  
"I'm Selphie. A friend of Irvine and Seifer's," she said softly. He blinked again and smiled slightly.  
  
"Nice to meet you," he said and fought back another yawn. He sat up slowly and stretched ignoring Star's protest of giving up his warm napping spot. The little moomba curled up in Lony's lap and he could hear her groan.  
  
"What am I? The Human Pillow?!" she cried unhappily. Squall looked back at her grinning.  
  
"Yes, yes you are," he said and almost fell off the couch to avoid being hit with the pillow that she threw at him. Lony grumped unhappily and moved the little ball of orange fur to May and stood.  
  
"I'll get you a towel, Selphie," Lony said and walked down the hall towards the bathroom. Seifer took Lony's vacated seat and peered at Selphie's sullen expression. May stood also and went into the kitchen. Squall scooted over and motioned for Selphie to sit down but Star quickly destroyed that option by curling up in the spot that Squall's body had warmed while he was sleeping.  
  
"Are you looking for a friend too, Selphie?" he asked as he peered at the girl a bit shyly. Selphie blinked her large kitty cat eyes at him and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he disappeared a few weeks ago," she answered.  
  
"Irvine and Seifer are looking for a friend too but I don't think they'll find him if they keep staying here," he noticed the surprise on Selphie's face as well as Seifer and Irvine's but he quickly forgot them when he heard thunder boom in the distance. Moving quickly to the window he grinned as he saw the tiny rivers on the glass. He saw Lony walk into the room fro, the faint reflection that the glass provided and turned to grin at her.  
  
"It's raining!" he said happily and tore out of the house out into the crying night.  
  
"Squall!" Lony yelled after him and stood in the doorway while he ran through the puddles that the sky had created from its tears. In his gleeful play amongst the falling tears he didn't push back a memory of a little boy running through the rain. Slowly, a faint image began to appear before his eyes and his laughing and glee slowly faded into the shadows of the night. The boy before him was running around happily, splashing in puddles and ignoring the shouts of the woman who was to be taking care of him. Other children were also playing in the rain but his eyes remained fixed on that little boy. Mud clung to his legs and the rain tried to wash it away but failed miserably. It was one of the few times that he would let tears cascade down his face and form little rivers that would stream down his little cheeks. His laughter was forced and the rain whipped at his clothes and punished his skin. The storm was bad but he continued to ignore the shouting. The howling of the wind cut into his ears and he knew that the other children were slowly going back inside for their amusement was done for now. However, as his sadness and misery grew his laughter faded and he stood in the rain and let its punishment tear at him.  
  
The little boy slowly faded and the rain continued to pour down on him. The icy arms were around him again, soft and comforting. He felt so safe here but he knew that it could not last long. The arms tried to tighten around him but he struggled. He didn't want to let these arms take him to that place, wherever and whatever it was, he just didn't want to go. The arm wouldn't let go and he started to go numb. His cold body began to stop its struggling and his mind began to fall asleep. He couldn't fall asleep here. It was bad. He just knew that it was bad for him to fall asleep here. He didn't know why exactly but he couldn't fall asleep. The cold receded and was replaced by burning warmth. The sky's tears were gone and replaced by something pouring over him. The burning warmth entered his body and tried to warm it not matter what. The cold disappeared and slowly, his eyes began to focus once more. The little boy was gone and the feeling of arms around him was comforting. His head was nestled under someone's, a woman's, chin and those same gentle fingers, Lony's fingers, were running through his hair. But it wasn't Lony that was holding him. It was May.  
  
Something was shielding his body from the sky's sobbing and the warm arms hugged him close. He clutched that warm person and tried to fight off the tightening in his shoulder blades. Something was coming. His gut was tightening in anticipation of… of what? His mind was a muddled mess of confusion and his body was trembling badly. He was aware of someone singing, or telling a story but he couldn't hear it. All his mind would concentrate on was the feeling of something big coming and the spider web of cracks on the walls in his mind. He could see them even though he was staring at the sodden earth near him. His head began to spin as the shadows loomed around him and his stomach lurched unhappily in his body. Bile rose in his throat but he fought it down. He could see the thick shadows now and on the horizon, when the morning would break, there would be even greater shadows coming towards them, shadows that he had seen before and that haunted his dreams. He couldn't push them away this time and tried to cling to May even more as the shadows began to close in.  
  
"Something's coming," he whispered, his voice scratchy and hardly audible in his clogged throat. The shadows were growing thicker y the second and he wanted to leave. Go inside where it was warm and he was away from these tears and gulping sobs. But… the sky wasn't making those sounds. He wasn't making those sounds and neither was anyone else. The shadow of a little girl invaded his sight and the shadows shrank away from that image. The girl was sitting on a stone floor with a torn doll at her feet. He felt his heart start to crack at the sight of the little girl and tried to shove the image away but it would not fade like all the others had. The girl continued to cry great hiccupping sobs and the image of a little boy appeared. But this image reminded him of someone. As did the little girl. Numbness began to settle inside of him again and the warmth began to fade to be replaced by the icy comfort of that being that lurked in his mind and fed on something. He couldn't scream at it to let him go and his mind rebelled against him as more cracks appeared in the walls. He could feel someone shaking him and could hear someone shouting but he could not hear what this person was shouting. He felt something trickle down from his mouth and faintly tasted something metallic.  
  
Slowly, his eyes began to loose their sight and tendrils of that blissful world began to reach for him. He accepted their embrace and let him pull him down into their world and away from these awful images and shadows that plagued him. He didn't know if his eyes closed and through the veil of blissful darkness he could see people staring at him fearfully. He felt his lips move and words escape him. He did not know what these words were before he fell completely into the darkest reaches of the world of those who slept.  
  
"The shadows… are all around you… the come from… the horizon…" were the last words whispered into the sobbing night before the shadows receded to find another piece of flesh to terrorize. 


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: don't own Final Fantasy 8  
  
Chapter 14

There were images… many different images… floating… swarming… swimming all around him and in the darkness. There were scenes too… and sounds… they all clambered for his attention at once but he could not give it to them. The walls had disappeared and he was being sucked deeper and deeper into this vision filled void. He could not reach for a single image for his body refused his wish to move. His eyes were open though, no matter what his wish was to close them… to be away from these things and figments of some other person's life. He knew that he was Squall Lionheart but… who was Squall? It felt as though there were two of him… living in the same body… sharing the same mind but with many different memories. There was this person… no… more like… a spirit lingering behind icy walls. She wanted to come out but… he didn't let her. Whoever HE was. The images crammed into his line of vision… trying to make him watch them all but… there was something… something important he was forgetting… something to do with… something to do with….  
  
There was a path leading to a tiny pinprick of light off in the distance, cutting through the mayhem of images and sounds. There was something warm there… and welcoming about that light that he tried to reach for it… and found that he could move again. He felt like he was moving through water or something even thicker then that. But still… he could move. So he did. He reached for that light and felt himself be pulled away from it by the images. He started to panic and flail about, trying desperately to break free from there. Salt air invaded his nostrils and the sounds of people shouting and fiends screaming and tearing at the fleeing people ripped at his ears. The sights of blood being spilled whether it be that of his subordinates or the fiends that he and his comrades tried to cut through made him desperately ill. His body burned with the force of every movement as if he had been swinging a deadly weapon for hours on end. His hand burned and ached as he tried to push the images away with them. And then… something fell onto his face… and then the drip came again and slid slowly down between his eyes. His forehead burned where something had cut deep into the capillary ridden flesh.  
  
His eyes widened in fear when he saw his hands. They were stained with the most corrupt substance in the world. Blood. It didn't matter to his panicking mind if it were fiend or his own. He had spilled blood on many occasions. That he remembered vividly. And the children… they were screaming but…. NO! He had not spilled the blood of those innocents! His hands were free of those stains. But the fiend blood… and that of his friends that had been injured and his own… that's what stained his hand now. Any wounds he had inflicted upon those he cared about were unintentional but the fiends… they had attacked and… and the sorceress had come and… he had too…. His mind screamed at him to embrace the memories and images and the sounds of a supposedly happy childhood but… he couldn't… not… not yet… his chest burned where his heart ached for those memories of the ones that he loved to return to it and fill it with warmth again… and then to be shielded by the hard, thick, cold, freezing barrier of ice that incased it for so many years….  
  
The same shield that was beginning to melt as he grew closer to the ones that he had known from that lonely… no… the orphanage wasn't lonely… he was just… sad… so very sad… and shy… and scared…. His heart ached widely at him as something warm was wrapped around him and spread its warmth into his chilling body. He didn't struggle… couldn't struggle for his limbs had frozen again… this dark place… he didn't like it at all… he tried to beg those arms or that warmth to take him and free him from the chains that those images and sounds had thrown around him. He opened his mouth to scream… shout… whimper or groan… something… anything to tell that warmth to take him from this place and to never leave his side… but they wouldn't listen. The voices… images… scents… and feelings… they wouldn't set his tired and aching spirit free to return to his freezing body. The cold rain shouldn't have been making his body that cold… but it was… something… was making him so cold and… and so… so sleepy… making his limbs… lethargic and…. so… very… heavy…. His eyes drooped closed and slowly the chains binding his spirit to this place behind the spider web cracked barriers began to loosen and let him free. His spirit flew into that warm and comforting light and he embraced it this time….  
  
There was light here… it rained on him and warmed his terribly chilled body. The sun fairies tiny little feet danced merrily upon his sealed eyelids willing him happily to open them that way they could dance upon his eyes and chase away the shadows in the corners of them. Slowly… painfully… he opened his eyes letting them become slits first before blinking slowly and opening them. The wind's long tapered fingers combed through his unruly locks of chocolate colored hair and played with the little dots of light dancing all over his tired visage. The blankets lat heavily on his aching body but he as warm. The wind was cool and his body was warm and he just… wanted to go right back to sleep. His eyelids fluttered closed again but the sound of a door opening and someone trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake him prevented him from returning to the warm clutches of sleep that he had been nestled in for some long. The warm cocoon he was in was not disturbed however and a cool hand was placed on his forehead, swiping away the bangs that the wind was using as miniscule jump ropes to play with. He slowly cracked his eyes open again and let the tiny little fairies to invade them again so they could swim in the twin bluish gray pools.  
  
He was met with the sunny, relieved, yet concerned eyes of one of his two caretakers, Lony. She sat her light form on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through his hair, smiling gently. The sun glinted off of the earrings in her ears and he smiled. Even though his form still ached for some reason he tried to pull his arm out from under the cozy nest that had been made for him. The limb moved and was slowly pulled from its cozy nest to let his fingers wrap around the ones Lony had laid on his cheek. He knew that she was concerned and very, very worried about something no matter how hard she tried to hide it. He swallowed heavily and finally found his voice to reassure her.  
  
"Hi," he murmured lethargically, his voice still swollen from the comatose like sleep he had just been shoved out of. Her eyes brightened dramatically and she leaned over and kissed his forehead lightly.  
  
"Hi," she replied. "How ya feelin'?" Out of some old practice, one that he had no idea that he had, he took stock of what his body felt like. It felt like it wanted to go back to sleep now.  
  
"Tired," he said softly, his voice still a bit rough. She smiled again and laced her fingers with his.  
  
"Not up to playin' with the kids today?" he shook his head and looked at her apologetically. Before he could open his mouth to say something a little red head poked in, her overly bright gray eyes shining in the sunlight raining in from the room's slightly open window.  
  
"Is Squally ok?" she asked timidly. Lony smiled at the little girl and nodded.  
  
"He wont be able to come to the park with us today though," Lony said making the girl give an adorable little pout. Lony shooed the little girl out of the room gently and kissed Squall's forehead again.  
  
"Get some sleep ok? Irvine's going to stay here with you so you just call him if you need anything alright?" she asked him gently. He felt himself nod as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier by the second. She smiled warmly and tucked the covers closer to his chilling body. He watched her move to the door in slow motion and wave goodbye to him. He felt his arm move and he knew that he had waved back albeit a bit weakly. His eyelids blinked again until they were pushed gently closed again and he was swallowed up by the darkness of the dream world an all those who now inhabited it.  
  
Irvine waved as the group trudged up the slightly muddy path towards town, Selphie chatting happily with some of the kids and introducing herself while Seifer was giving one child a piggy back ride and forcing himself to smile. The Galbadian Cowboy smirked faintly as he shut the door and remembered why Seifer was looking so forcibly happy with the children. Irvine had won at rock paper scissors against Seifer and that meant that Seifer got to spend the whole day with the little rug rats. Irvine chuckled to himself as he made his way to Squall's borrowed room and poked his head inside. The room was very well lit with the sunlight pouring in buckets through the barely opened window and the opened door was letting that light spill into the hallway in waves. His bare feet padded quietly on the carpeted floor as he made his way over to the sleeping Lion of Balamb. His smile faded a little as he remembered that Squall didn't remember Balamb or anything about him or the others and what they had all been through.  
  
The sunlight played gently in Squall's face and gave his slightly pale skin a more healthy looking tone. His face was smooth of the constant frown lines that he remembered to always be there when he was awake and actually had his memory. His lips were slightly parted and his left arm lay limply on the comforter that was tucked over him. Gingerly, so as not to wake the sleeping lion, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched his even breathing flow in and out of him. His thick eye lashes brushed against his skin in soft barely noticeable butterfly kisses as he dreamed and his eye lids fluttered, making the illusion that he was on the brink of wakefulness even though he was deep in the clutches of his dream world. The light and the wind playing over him made him seem like some… ethereal being and his heart longed for the sleeping boy. Irvine's slender fingers brushed Squall's bangs gently from his forehead and a smile crossed his lips when Squall murmured something in his sleep and tried to snuggle closer to the slight warmth that Irvine's hand provided. Without Irvine knowing it he leaned slowly over the innocently sleeping teen.  
  
His eyes slowly closed and his heart beat faster, anticipating his lips connecting with his amnesiac commander's. But Squall shifted and rolled onto his side making Irvine jerk back and his eyes to widen in realization as to what he had just done… or… almost done. His heart screamed at him for pulling away when a sharp breath could have made their lips meet for the first time but his muddled brain fought down the longings of his heart and tried to make sense of what he had just almost done. Squall continued sleeping, blissfully unaware of Irvine's presence in the room. Slowly, Irvine's legs carried him from the room and made him close the door halfway. Sighing heavily, Irvine trudged into the living room and looked around. The room was flooded with light from the brightly grinning sky and letting it's rays pour upon the world and warm it from the chilling rain it had received just hours before. Irvine sat down on the couch and stared at the floor, allowing his mind to work out a few things. Like why he had tried to kiss Squall for one thing.  
  
He was there again. In that place… that place where the images were… behind the cracked wall with all the chains that wouldn't let his spirit go and made him feel as though he weren't whole. Only this time… this time he was… he was able to move and look around. The feelings and images were not as intense now that they appeared to be dormant… but… the shadows… the shadows that lingered around the cracks behind the wall were swarming and keeping the images in chains. However, as the images grew further and further away… the shadows closed in. They swarmed around him and stole the heat and life from his body and spirit. They made the wall stronger… they continued to steal his strength from him and absorb it into themselves to make them stronger. They wanted to get out. Badly. He searched blindly for that little pinprick of light again but the shadows only made the darkness grow stronger, thicker, absorbing any light that may attempt to try and reach him.  
  
His throat was clogging… his lungs freezing. He tried to scratch at his throat but his limbs wouldn't move… he stared into the darkness as it became a gelatinous substance sucking him into the blinding darkness and seeping into the tiny pores in skin. He tried to scream but as he opened his mouth the darkness spilled in and sank into his lungs and other organs. He tried to squirm, scream, draw air into his starving lungs. But the darkness only grew as his fear, pain and panic grew to immeasurable levels. The darkness covered his eyes and welcomed him into its deathly embrace and the last of his strength, warmth, and quite possibly, life was stolen from him to feet the death that feasted upon him.  
  
A/N: sorry about the very slight almost yaoi scene being so crappy. First time at writing it. Hope you liked this chappy!!!


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: don't own FFVIII.  
  
Chapter 15  
  
The twilight's eyes blinked down upon the brightly lit cities and the ones made of rubble as a dark wind blew. They smiled down happily on all the peaceful, happy mortals that lay beneath them as the shadows grew closer. They lent warmth and delight to those who needed them until the dark ominous clouds spread like a thick blanket to cover their happy glow. The reflected in the haunted gray blue eyes of the brunette as he stared at them from his bedroom window. There were scents creeping into the room on silent feet to fly under his nostrils so he could take them in and make his body remind him of it's hunger. It stayed silent. His ears were deaf to the sounds of someone calling his name and his skin was nerveless when someone shook him. His eyes were sightless as his face was turned to stare into the speaker's. All he could see, feel, and hear were the sounds of the shadows as they moved ever closer to his safe little haven. A great warmth flushed through the front of his body and began to melt the little ice encased nerve endings in his skin.  
  
Slowly, something forced the shadows in his mind to release him and let him float back to his body to see, feel and hear as he was meant to. As he began to feel again his arms moved up and encircled the little person that was hugging him tightly. As sight was restored to him he saw the room come into focus and a head of brown hair underneath his nose. The scent of strawberries reached his nose and he filled his lungs with that scent. He could hear the person talking to him as his ears began to function properly again. Warmth flooded his body once again and he blinked slowly, demanding that his eyes focus quicker. When they finally did and when his ears finally began to work properly he tightened his grip on the girl that he was holding. She shifted and moved to look at him, her worry ridden emerald eyes brimming slightly with tears. Confusion circled in his mind as he struggled to remember this ones name and why was she on the verge of crying. Did he hurt her? Had someone hurt her? What happened? The tears were whipped away and she smiled up at him clearly relieved. He blinked confused and tried to force his mind to work faster and to pull it from the mud it was stuck in. The wind from the slightly opened window sent a chill to his skin and woke him up a little more from the daze he was in.  
  
The girl smiled warmly up at him and hugged him tightly. His mind was shoved harshly from the muddled mess it was in and forced to activate. The bright green eyes stared up at him happily and she said something. Something he couldn't hear quite right. She frowned faintly and said it again but his ears wouldn't receive it. They were to busy hearing something else and his eyes were to busy seeing something else. He swallowed heavily trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. Emerald eyes stared up at him fearfully but the haze he was being sucked into took that away. He could hear the shouts of people screaming and children crying clearly in his ears. There were flames leaping up into the sky from out of seemingly nowhere and there was a sick laughter floating down from the choking velvet blanket the twilight had become. His skin felt cold and his muscles ached and screamed at him as he started to move. There was blood creeping down his face and side and his vision swam sickeningly when he refused to submit to the blackness at the edges of his vision. There were people everywhere, some he knew, but most he did not. There was the loud bang of a rifle going off somewhere above him and the dark shadow looming on the horizon winced at the slight injury.  
  
Thunder boomed up ahead and lightening struck the hideous creature. He felt his boots thud on the ground in time with his team's attacks. There was a second set of boots racing to meet up with him and a gray trench coat flew beside him as the creature howled from the monstrous attacks. His fingers clenched Lionheart's hilt and he felt his arms rise above his head as he leapt into the air, leaving his partner to attack the creature from down below. The blade came down and the trigger was pulled. Silence. A long empty silence. Then… the sound of someone screaming as he lay broken on the ground. The scream was cut short as the creature whirled on him. Then… eternal darkness… to be born again in some other place… in some other life… he rested…  
  
The shadows thickened and bowed before the scraggily robbed figure as it approached the city wreaking and flooding with life. The stars were out and could not hide behind the thick blanket of clouds that had passed the other day. Oh no, the sky would be alight with the dancing of the orchestra and the stars would have to watch in agony as their children were struck down one by one. But he would have to move quickly for the Lion's reinforcements were coming by the droves across the land that he had torn and ripped apart seam by bloody seam. He felt the shadows wrap around him to create a fiendish armor beneath his tattered robes and his crooked smile broadened. The buzz from her eternal presence lingered through out his being and he shivered as her words slithered through his mind.  
  
"Kill," they whispered. "Bring their blood to me so that I may be reborn and take this land which is mine." He felt himself shaking in excitement as he drew closer and the lights from this happy little city could be seen over the next hill. His fingers twitched in excitement as the wind carried over the feeling of panic swelling in their little hearts. It would take those pathetic little fools till dawn to get here and by then… he will have feasted well. As he began his ascent of the hill he knew… just knew… that they would be waiting for him.  
  
'Seifer…' the flames beckoned him. 'Seifer… it is coming…' he frowned. What was coming? The heat that normally flowed through his veins became icy as the wind kissed his skin. His limbs refused to move as he heard Selphie's panicked cry from the bedroom. The pounding of feet reached his ears but the chill got worse. He forced his eyes open and looked around. Irvine was staring out the window, his muscles tight with stress and worry.  
  
"What's going on?" Seifer asked concerned. Irvine turned troubled violet eyes to the blonde and swallowed past the lump in his throat.  
  
"There's something coming. Diablos and Pandamona are restless," he whispered hoarsely. Seifer nodded in agreement.  
  
"Ifrit can feel it to. Close the window would you?"  
  
"I can't move," Irvine turned back to the window and it was clear that his limbs were just as paralyzed as Seifer's own. He could hear the girls fretting over Squall but that was slowly drowned as the roaring of the flames increased. There were panicked screams from the bedroom as the sound of shattering glass reached his ears. The spell was broken. In an instant Seifer had surged to his feet and followed Irvine out of the house at a dead sprint. There was a shadow moving down along the barely lit street towards the empty and shadow blanketed park.  
  
"Squall!" he heard Selphie's voice cry as she began to catch up with them. Irvine increased his speed as the figure ran under a street lamp, revealing it to be a very scared and very injured Squall. The cold wind blew again and brought with it a sense of something coming closer, the feeling of death nipping at his heels and creeping up his spine. His heart lodged his throat and his skin lost it's color as the familiar brush of that insane magic swept like a cat along the outside of skull. He kept running, catching up to Irvine and matching his pace, hearing his boots thud on the pavement as they tried to keep up. Squall swerved through the neighborhood and hardly crowded streets of town, desperately trying to get away from his pursuers. The shadows were closing in quickly and the ice maiden nipped at the back of his mind, demanding to be let out from behind her wall of ice.  
  
Darkness reached him, but the scent of trees and the familiar sounds of town let him know where he was. The cool soil of the park ground hit his feet as he stepped off the path and leapt into a nearby tree. He could feel it coming, this sense of evil and darkness that had tried to claim him twice now. The lights from the city were slowly dieing out as the clouds began to come in, drawn b this sense of wrongness that was starting to blanket everything. He saw them then. The people that he knew and that he trusted but… his mind drew a blank and he struggled to remember them and why they were the safe ones. He clung to the tree as he watched them search for him, scared of what might've happened to him. The shadows began to draw closer and as he watched them move closer to the tree he was clinging to he felt the shadows grab him as they had tried to do before… the night when the sky was crying… and that night in that very cold place… it was crying then too…  
  
Squall struggled against the shadow's hold and twisted trying to make them let go. Their cold, icy, lifeless grip sank into his flesh and began to slowly freeze him to the bone. He squeezed his eye shut and forced his mouth closed to they couldn't enter through their. But… they were still getting in! Seeping into his body through the millions upon millions of pores throughout his skin and his nostrils and ears. He felt a scream build his chest as his hands lost their fight to beat the shadows from him and cling to the tree. He felt his body plummet to the ground below and he screamed, letting loose all of his terror and fear for everyone to hear. He kept his eyes glued shut and struggled to get away from the thing that was preventing him from hitting the cold hard ground. He could hear shouting, and the icyness receding from his limbs and chest but still, he kept his eyes closed. There was something warm brushing against his chilled skin and someone's warm fingers rubbing feeling back into his. There were two people helping him while the other stood guard. The wind blew harder and the shadows kept their distance from the glowing blade of Hyperion.  
  
Hyperion? What was…? As the wind blew harder, stirring the shadows around them and making them move happily with anticipation he felt his chest begin to be released from the vice grip it had been encased in. He felt someone twinning their fingers into his and someone's arms coaxing his body to uncurl from the little bundle it had been in. He could hear someone's voice singing and felt a warm rush of breath stir his hair and he felt his body begin to warm again despite the death-ridden wind. He song tickled his hearing back into proper working order and the one holding him shielded his body from the cold. There was a third set of hands running their thumbs gently under his eyes, whipping the moisture from his cheeks. Was he crying? Slowly, frightfully, he opened his eyes to take in the view of the people around. He blinked slowly against the blurriness and saw Lony's relieved smiling face staring back at him. The arms around his tightened and he looked up to see part of Irvine's face smiling down to him. The fingers twined in his tightened and urged his gaze to turn towards Selphie. Seifer was standing with his back to them, tense and ready fro any enemy that might come their way.  
  
He saw it before they did. He heard before they did. He even knew it before they did. There was an explosion near the entrance to the city and the sound of people screaming reached his damaged ears. Selphie stood quickly, letting go of his hands, as the shadows began to move quicker and quicker around them, their red eyes glowing. Seifer and Selphie both stood tense, ready for anything as more explosions wracked the city. Flames licked at the sky from not to far off in the distance, growing closer like hungry wolves that leapt from building to building, feasting on all that they pounced on. He opened his mouth to scream at the shadows to get away as they grew closer but his voice was frozen and his breath was clogged like cement in his lungs. The flames slowly grew closer and the shadows were swept away by a black wind.  
  
"Seifer…" Selphie hissed.  
  
"I know," he responded and gripped Hyperion tightly as their eyes finally saw the shadows moving into the flames and the black wind that came out of them. The people that they passed fell to dust on the ground and was swept away. The flames began eating away at the park and would not be doused by the numerous spells and GFs that were cast and summoned. He watched in horror as the people that he had met once or twice were struck down. He felt his body moving and realized that he was being carried away from the trees that he loved so much. The black wind chased them even as the shadows disappeared into the flames.  
  
"We have to call Quistis and Zell!" Irvine shouted frantically to Seifer who ran only a few feet ahead.  
  
"I did already!" the former knight shouted back. Squall's gray eyes roved the night sky for the stars and moon that he knew to be there and knew that he could solace in. He felt a stab of mournful grief wash through him as the flames began to try and eat those white points of light from the very blanket that they were sewn into. He could hear the mournful cries of the Ice Witch who tried to break free from her wall and felt the cold clutches of the greater darkness reaching for him. He struggled to get away and run but Irvine's arms were firm and would not let him down. He tried to scream and protest to being carried but the cement in his lungs had not yet cracked and freed his breath from its massonite grip. The black wind stilled and the screams from the people and the laughter of the flames rang in his ears. Irvine stopped running and froze where he stood. Squall struggled out of Irvine's grip but clung to his arm, looking for a way out.  
  
Hard, onyx eyes were staring at him from somewhere close by and his ears picked up on the terrified and horrified squeak that Selphie emitted. He looked towards the woods and felt his body freeze. The demon was standing there. The demon that controlled the shadows and harbored a little tiny piece of her spirit stood at the edge of the woods. His torn and bloody robes lay hanging off his narrow, bony shoulders. His black hair lay in strings on his head an framing his peeling face. The black stone eyes peered out at them from sunken sockets and the crooked smile showed what few rotting teeth he had. The skin on his face was peeling away to show rotted muscles and yellow bone. His nose was missing and as his hand moved out towards them, the skin fell away from the bony, claw like fingers. Squall's heart was frozen in his chest as he gazed upon the demon that stood before him and rammed through the barriers in his mind to let loose the torrent of memories in one huge jumble. His felt the walls break and tasted the metallic liquid in his mouth as his gaze was forced to swivel up to the burning sky. 


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: I am soooo sorry for not updating sooner guys! Major case of writer's block and school stuff! I'm soooo sorry! but good news here's the first of two new chapters!

Disclaimer: I do not Own Final Fantasy VIII

Chapter 16

There was darkness here… thick, inky, darkness that wrapped its cold arms around him. Images were fluttering in and out of his reach and voices flittered through his head. Some he knew, others were strangers. He heard names being called out and saw many different faces. The walls had been broken some how and were now releasing the many different mini movies that they had held back. The dark, unfamiliar arms that had been holding him were ripped away and replaced by the cool, safe, and icy arms of the ice queen that had been hiding in the back of his mind behind a wall of ice.

The presence was a comforting, powerful, familiar feeling in his mind that began to fill a little missing piece of his heart. He felt his body relax into the embrace as the memories continued to bombard him, screaming at him to pay attention to them. The images crowded into his vision, blurring and mixing their contents together as the sounds all blurred to an unbearable noise buzzing and screaming in his ears. The chilling presence could do nothing but watch as her lion succumbed to the madness in his own mind.

"My precious little lion," she whispered mournfully. "If only I could help you."

Irvine swore loudly as he felt Squall's body fall limp against his back. The rain pounded overhead and the sound of the raging inferno grew closer. Selphie ran ahead of him towards the Ragnarock while Seifer hung back to deal with the Firaga casting, decaying psycho at their heels. Irvine glanced at his side to see Lony and May keeping up rather well.

"We should be there soon!" Selphie called back. Her usual exuberance replaced with the desperate need to flee this slowly dieing town.

"Where are we going!" Lony asked running up beside Irvine.

"To the Ragnarock!" He yelled back. His feet pounded the slowly burning earth and his violet eyes flicked over his shoulder to peer at the sight behind him. His feet froze and he stumbled nearly dropping the slowly chilling, dead eyed Squall that had once clung to his back as he realized that they were moving. Seifer was fighting off burning corpse after burning corpse in an attempt to keep them from his comrades and the two innocent civilians that were still alive in this dieing city. The madman's burning, decaying corpse was making his way slowly though the flames, maggots and what little bodily fluids he had dripping to the ground and turning it black. A hand tugged his arm and he looked back to meet Lony's frightened eyes.

"We have to go!" she cried. Irvine nodded numbly and looked back at Seifer. Glittering obsidian eyes met his and he felt a sharp, intense, nearly unbearable pain lance through his body. His vision wavered and his body felt weak and tired, like it was being drained of strength with every step he took. Still he forced himself to go on, forced himself to carry Squall all the way to the Ragnarock, forced himself to not hand his amnesiac commander off to someone else and run back to help Seifer. No, he forced himself to continue running towards the sounds of the Ragnarock warming up and he forced himself to set Squall next to Lony where she could take care of him before collapsing, his legs to weak to hold him anymore. He barely heard anyone's voice as they shouted to him, worried. His vision blacked out and his mind fluttered away on angel's wings into unconsciousness.

The flames licking at his clothes and skin began to absorb into him as Ifrit took in his fill. He could feel his guardian's pleasure radiating through him, giving him the strength he needed in order to take down corpse after corpse, no matter what it was. He could feel the cold, sinister, corpse like eyes on his back and turned slowly as the flames engulfed him, his skin appearing to be glowing and his jade eyes glinting like cold jewels as he stared at the psycho that caused all of this. The flames wrapped around his thinning, rotting form and hugged him close, dancing to the wicked music they created. Obsidian eyes locked on him, attempted to draw him in once again, trying to steal his strength and throw his mind under the veil of the sorceress once more. He could feel Ifrit's anger and anxiety of being trapped behind his wall of flames.

"Such an interesting boy you've become, Knight," was spat out between rotting lips, the T sounds garbled by his lack of teeth.

"There is no knight here. Only your executioner," he growled back letting Ifrit see through his eyes the monster before him.

"So you shall betray the woman who gave you those dreams, Knight?"

"She gave me nothing but a hatred and guilt to carry on my shoulders for the rest of my life,"

"Then you shall die here, worthless Knight!" the rain began to burn and he looked up horrified to realize that the rain was no longer pouring but something of a more acidic nature.

"Stay here long and you shall die along with these people! I will resurrect the true ruler of this world!" The flames grew higher and higher and hands prevented him from moving, keeping him trapped in the acidic down pour. Obsidian eyes lingered on his back and watched as the former Knight began to cut free of the corpses holding him. Jade eyes searched frantically for a way out but the corpses continued to rise no matter how many times he cut them down.

The flames, Ifrit rumbled. They are no trouble to you. Run through them to safety, Even before Ifrit finished his command his feet were pounding, Hyperion's blade slicing through the twisted creatures before him, his trigger finger squeezing off multiple rounds into the beasts. There was a rumble and the flames parted. The flames' light reflected off the crimson paint job of the Ragnarock. Someone was shouting at him to hurry up and jade eyes met frantic gray ones. Slashing at one last flame-ridden corpse he felt his legs become springs as he leapt for the Ragnarock as it was lifting from the ground. His fingers curled around the edge of the platform and a strong forearm as May pulled him up. Quickly, they both moved into the safety of the dragon looking ship. In a matter of seconds they were speeding across the sky towards the safe haven of where Balamb Garden was supposed to be docked.

A sick feeling began to rise in Seifer's stomach as he stepped into the cockpit and saw Squall. His pale, clearly troubled form seemed to be struggling against something in his mind but Lony held him in a tight yet gentle embrace. Turning jade eyes towards Selphie, he felt his lips move and words flow from his mouth.

"We can't go back to Garden," Selphie turned to him alarmed.

"We have to go back!" she exclaimed. Seifer just shook his head and sat down heavily.

"We can't, Selphie. It'd be to much of a shock to everyone," he reasoned. Selphie looked about to protest when May spoke up.

"It would be to much for Squall to handle right now. He's obviously trying to remember something but each time he does it's like it's painful for him. Like it hurts and terrifies him each time he starts to remember something,"

"That's right. And going back to Garden now would only put more pressure on him what with everyone trying to make him remember. Just send notice to Quistis that we've found him and are trying to lay low for a while," It was clear that Selphie didn't like the idea but she turned and contacted Garden anyway. Seifer leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily. He could still feel those icy black eyes on his back and his shoulder blades itched. He could feel it. It wouldn't be long now before that undead maniac brought the Sorceress back to life. 


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Here's the second of two all new chapters guys! i'll try and update sooner next time! promise!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII

Chapter 17

Floating… he could feel himself floating in the inky void. He was cold… deathly cold. His limbs felt like they were frozen and they refused to move. His eyes fluttered open slowly only to be met with the darkness. His head ached and he could feel the sounds and images trying to shove the other away so they could gain his undivided attention. The icy arms that had once held him were gone now, hidden behind the wall of ice he was floating away from. Fingers combed his hair from his face and gently urged him to return to the world wakefulness. Slowly, he felt himself being pulled from this dark world cramped with things that he did not understand. As he grew closer and closer to the brink of awakening the images fluttered past him. Images of times long past or images of things that he should remember from recent times. Voices began to ring in his ears gently and his outside body curled closer to the warmth he was pressed against.

The scent of salt water reached him and the feeling of sand under his legs began to rouse him from his troubled rest. Slowly, painfully slowly, blue gray eyes flickered open. Light bombarded them but still he kept them open. The fingers in his hair continued to sooth him but the scent of the ocean forced his eyes to look for the source of that smell. He found none. Jade green eyes entered his line of sight and a petite hand was waved in front of him.

"Squall, follow my fingers ok?" someone said from above him. Confusion swarmed within him when he heard that name. Squall? Who… was that? Again, the fingers moved across his vision and he felt his eyes follow them. Someone said his name again and this time it registered. His name was Squall.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" again that hand entered his line of sight but now three fingers were present. He felt his lips move but his throat was too rough to let any sound out. Something pressed against his lips but he ignored it, wanting only to fall asleep again. His body was pulled back to lie against someone and arms wrapped around his middle. There were people there. Four people, two men and two women. His mind registered them again but much slower then it should have.

"Squall, do you know who we are?" Asked a small jade-eyed brunette. He nodded slowly, the memories slowly surfacing of these people. But… there were three missing. A man with a cowboy hat, Irvine, he remembered, stepped forward and watched him carefully as he asked his next question.

"Do you know where you are?" Again he nodded and felt his lips move, this time feeling in his throat as the sounds left his mouth.

"Rag… narock…" he whispered. Irvine smiled at him.

"What are these peoples' names?" Looking around at the group he felt himself register them and come up with names.

"Selphie… Seifer… Irvine… May…" His gaze turned up to the person holding him. "Lony…" Irvine smiled again and nodded. His lips moved again but all he heard was the sound of the ocean and the seagulls and children playing. Images began to flutter in front of him once more and his arms moved to try and shove them away for a pounding like that of a hammer to an anvil began behind his eyes and made his ears ring. He felt sand under his fingers again and felt a pain lance through his head. Something cold and wet was beating him against a hard thing behind him. The cold thing drove him under and made him slam his head repeatedly against a rock before spitting him out onto the shore. The wind was fierce and blew sand up around his legs as he ran, laughing as someone chased him. There were hands on his arms, holding his nails away from himself and darkness began to envelope him again. He welcomed it. He'd welcome anything that took him from the pain of those images. Crying silently, he wondered why the barriers around those images had broken, why were they causing him so much pain? He didn't want to remember anything if this was what it caused. Frantic calling reached his hears but he ignored it and plunged head first into the dark void.

May sighed heavily as she watched Squall's body slowly stop convulsing. The tiny welts on his arms began to bleed sluggishly and he lay there against Lony, ignoring the frantic calls of his friends. She watched as his blue gray eyes, so full of life before, began to glaze over and slowly close.

"He's not going to respond," she said. Seifer turned to her, his eyes blazing. She held up a hand to silence him.

"His memories are probably returning all at once. That's what is most likely causing him to continually pass out," She answered. Seifer watched her carefully and turned back to Squall.

"Selphie, that's enough now," He said. "He's not going to wake up if you keep shouting at him. Just let him rest for a little longer," Selphie turned emotion ridden green eyes to him but reluctantly relented. Irvine sat down heavily in one of the seats and put his face in his hands. Nothing was said for several minutes until finally, Lony broke it.

"Maybe…. We should go and visit this Matron he was whimpering about," She said, combing her fingers through Squall's hair and slowly easing his eyes closed.

"When was he whimpering about Matron?" Seifer inquired flicking his jeweled gaze to the girl.

"Before he started screaming. He was kind of…. Crying and saying Matron over and over again, like he was afraid of something," There was a moment of silence before Selphie sped out of the room to the cockpit.

"I'll tell Quisty where we're going," she shouted. Seifer nodded in agreement and looked at the self-inflicted wounds on Squall's arms. Thankfully, they didn't need medical attention right off the bat but they would have to find someway of stopping him if he tried it again. Seifer allowed himself to flop into one of the seats and sighed heavily. This was going to be a long, long trip.

Zell sighed heavily as he stared out the cafeteria window at the open ocean spread before them. The plate of hot dogs sat ignored on the table before him and Quistis just simply didn't have the heart to interrupt him from his thoughts and make him eat. The last report that they had received burned in her memory and sank her heart each time she heard it.

Flashback

Quistis waited impatiently while Xu and Nida tried to reconnect the wires that would receive any reports on Squall or the madman behind the Sorceress Resurrection. Zell's rapid movements were a constant buzzing in her ears as the hyper martial artist bounced and jabbed at invisible enemies. Glancing at the screen again, she sighed heavily and rubbed her temples, impatience growing into irritation at the length of time it was taking until they had a clear image.

"We got it!" Nida cried triumphantly as he bounced up from beneath the control panel. Snowy white blanketed the screen and the sound of static began to buzz irritatingly in the small room before the blurry image of Irvine appeared on the screen.

"Irvine! How goes the search man?" Zell asked nearly blocking her view of the young cowboy. Quistis felt her brows furrow deeply as she analyzed the nearly crushed look on the boy's face. His smile was forced though as if trying to relay good news but it was obvious that something horrible had happened.

"Well…" he started haltingly. "We… found him-" loud cheering erupted in the room and Xu reached for the intercom button.

"But…" Quistis asked. Irvine sighed heavily and the crushed look returned. He scratched his forehead nervously and looked at them again.

"He… he doesn't… remember anything…"

End Flashback

A chill struck her yet again as the scene replayed. Zell had stilled completely while Xu nearly fainted and Nida turned pale as a sheet. Quistis wasn't sure what her reaction had been but the news had been… shocking. Looking around the cafeteria now she could tell that the whole Garden knew and that all were crushed by it. No matter how much Squall denied it, many of the students looked up to him as a role model. Especially the junior classmen who seemed anxious to meet the commander when ever they could, no matter what the circumstances. Quistis turned her gaze to the martial artist beside her and nudged his leg with her foot.

"Come on, Zell, we have to call Selphie to see what's going on," She said. Zell groaned and stood.

"And right when I was about to fly out the window and pound that guy's head in," he said pouting adorably. Quistis chuckled faintly and walked out of the cafeteria with Zell right behind her. 


End file.
